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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



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Shelf j.DS^y- 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



THE 

UNIVERSAL 






OR 



WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 



A CYCLOPEDIA OF 

PRACTICAL INFORMATION. 



COMPLETE DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING AND DOING OVER 5,000 

THINGS NECESSARY IN BUSINESS, THE TRADES, THE 

SHOP, THE HOME, THE FARM, AND THE KITCHEN. 



Recipes^ Prescriptions, Medicines, M ami fac hiring Pi-ocesses, Trade 
Secrets, Chemical Preparations, Mechanical Appliances, Aid to In- 
jured, Antidotes, Business Information, Every Day Law, 
, -' ''Ornaments, Home Decorations, Art Work, Fancy Work, 
' Agriculture, Fruit Culture, Stock Raising, and hun— 
- f' ; dreds of other tiseful hijtts and helps, 

Gathered from the Most Reliable Sources. 



COMPILED ANdArRANGED BY 

S. H. BURT. 




NEW YORK: X^^frw....wr> 



S. H. MOORE & CO. 

1834. 



'■.■ 



y 



COPYRIGHT 1S84 BY A. L. BURT. 



PREFACE. 



** What every one should know " are those practical, handy ways 
of doing, making and mending all sorts and kinds of things, ignor- 
ance of which necessitates so much extra labor, trouble, anxiety and 
expense. 

In the common daily experience of every one there are hundreds 
of occasions when a knowledge of ** how to do " would add largely to 
the success, comfort or safety of life. There are emergencies con- 
stantly arising, both in the ordinary course of business and trade, 
and through the occurrence of accidents, that require instant atten- 
tion, or the results will be most disastrous. There are innumerable 
instances where a practical knowledge of the elements of Medicine 
and Surgery would be of incalculable benefit in preserving life. The 
comfort, luxury and beauty of the household can be largely in- 
creased by a little study of the means of repairing our posessions. 

It is to supply much needed information on these and other com- 
mon but essential topics that this book has been made. It has been 
the intention of the compiler to gather into this volume all those 
practical rules, recipes and hints which are capable of being followed 
and applied by any one without high-priced professional advice or 
instruction; to show the way of doing things oneself without un- 
necessary delay, labor or expense; to gather much that has existed 
in the general experience of men and women, but which has never 
been classified, and to present this mass of information in a handy 
form so that it may be easy of access whenever the constantly recur- 
ring occasions demand. 

A list of the contents of this book would include all the simple 
recipes, prescriptions and medicines, their composition, uses and 
effects, which a family employs; it would contain descriptions of all 
the manufacturing processess, the trade secrets, the chemical and 



4 PREFACE. 

mechanical agents, etc., that should form a part of the industrial 
equipment of every artisan and mechanic; it would contain business, 
law, and mercantile information by means of which the trades are 
conducted; it would contain complete directions for doing all those 
common things that daily perplex housekeepers all over the land; 
it would contain many hints and directions of value to the farmer, 
relating to the culture of the land, the growing of crops and fruits, 
the rearing of live stock, etc.; it would contain directions for master- 
ing those branches of art work that are occupying so much attention 
at present; it would contain rules for conduct in all sorts of emergen- 
cies, from the poisoning of a human being to the breaking of a chair 
leg, from a catalogue of antidotes to the recipe for making a furniture 
varnish. 

All these things, and many more, this book contains. The 
alphabetical arrangement of subjects has been selected as the most 
convenient for reference. From hundreds of reliable sources the 
articles have been selected, and no thing has been admitted which 
has not the sanction of usage and worth. 

Some of the information between these covers will not be unfa- 
miliar to each reader, but what new hints and helps are gleaned will 
repay one fifty times the cost; and as people cannot always remember 
what they do know when it is most necessary, this little mentor and 
guide should always be at hand, ready to give you its aid. 

In presenting this book to the Public, the compiler feels assured 
that its usefulness and novelty will be an immediate passport to favor, 
and that its worth will bring it lasting popularity. 

S. H. B. 

New York, 1884. 



WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

A Cyclopedia of Practical Information. 



Abscess. — In some particulars an abscess resembles a large boil. 
There is an inflammatory condition, with heat, pain, and swelling. 
The result of this inflammation is the discharge of degenerated mat- 
ter or pus. They may be opened as soon as pulsation is detected, the 
same as boils, or the operation may be delayed until by using hot 
water compresses, flax seed poultice, bread and hot milk poultice, 
they come to a point or head. The matter or pus should be com- 
pletely discharged by gentle pressure, and the cavity freely washed 
out by injecting a mixture of one part carbolic acid and twenty of 
warm water, and pressure exerted by a bandage, t lien healing will 
rapidly take place. 

Acid — (Strawberry). — Take three pounds of ripe strawberries, two 
ounces of citric acid, and one quart of spring water. Dissolve the 
acid in the water, and pour it on the strawberries, and let them stand 
in a cool place twenty-four hours. Then drain the liquid off, and pour 
it on three more pounds of fruit; let it stand twenty-four hours. Add 
to the liquid its own weight of sugar; boil it three or four minutes in 
a porcelain-lined preserve kettle, lest metal may affect the taste, and, 
when cool, cork it in bottles lightly for three days, then tightly, and 
seal them. Keep in a dry and cool place. It is delicious for sick and 
Well. 

Aconite Liniment. — Tincture of aconite root, tincture of arnica 
flowers, laudanum in equal parts. Mix thoroughly; a very useful lini- 
ment. 

Aconite — poisoning by. — This root has been sometimes swallowed 
for horseradish. The symptoms of poisoning by this means, or by 
an overdose are tingling and numbness of the tongue, throat, and 
limbs, pam in the stomach, vomiting, purging, feeble pulse, labored 
breathing, and great prostration. Give an emetic of sulphate of zinc 
in water, or three or four spoonfuls of table salt and water. Use an 
alcoholic stimulant, and in the meantime send for the family physi- 
cian. 



6 IVIIA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

Accidents. — In all recent wounds, the first consideration is to re- 
move foreign bodies, such as pieces of glass, splinters of wood, pieces 
of stone, earth, or any other substance that may have been introduced 
by the violence of the act which caused the wound. Where there is 
much loss of blood, an attempt should be made to stop it with dry 
lint, compressed above the part wounded, if the blood be of a florid 
color; and below, if of a dark color. In proportion to the importance 
of the part wounded, will be the degree of the discharge of blood, and 
the subsequent tendency to inflammation and its consequences. 

Accidents — ways to prevent. — As most sudden deaths come by 
water, particular caution is therefore necessary in its vicinity. 

Stand not near a tree, or any leaden spout, iron gate, or palisade, in 
time of lightning. 

Lay loaded guns in safe places, and never imitate firing a gun in 
jest. 

Never sleep near charcoal; if drowsy at any work where charcoal 
fires are used, take the fresh air. 

Carefully rope trees before they are cut down, that when they fall 
they may do no injury. 

When benumbed with cold beware of sleeping out of doors; rub 
yourself, if you have it in your power, with snow, and do not hastily 
approach the fire. 

Beware of damp air vaults; let them remain open some time before 
you enter; or scatter powdered lime in them. Where a lighted candle 
will not burn, animal life cannot exist; it will be an excellent caution, 
therefore, before entering damp and confined places, to try this sim- 
ple experiment. 

Never leave saddle or draught horses, while in use, by themselves; 
nor go immediately behind a led horse, as he is apt to kick. 

Be wary of children, whether they are up or in bed; and particu- 
larly when they are near the fire, an element with which they are very 
apt to amuse themselves. 

Leave nothing poisonous open or accessible; and never omit to 
write the word " Poison " in large letters upon it, wherever it may be 
placed. 

In walking the streets keep out of the line of the cellars, and never 
look one way and walk another. 

Never throw pieces of orange-peel, or broken glass bottles into the 
streets. 

Never meddle with gunpowder by candle light. 

In opening effervescing drinks, such as soda water, hold the cork 
in your hand. 

Quit your house with care on a frosty morning. 

Have your horses' shoes, sharpened when there are indications of 
frost. 

In trimming a lamp with naphtha, never fill it. Leave space for the 
spirit to expand with warmth. 

Never quit a room leaving the poker in the fire. 



WIIA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 7 

When the brass rod of the stair carpet becomes loose, fasten it im- 
mediately. 

Keep lucifer matches in their cases, and never let them be strewed 
about. 

Acid Drops. — Pound and sift into a clean pan eight ounces of dou- 
ble refined sugar, add slowly as much water as will render the sugar 
sufficiently moist not to stick to the stirring spoon, place the pan on a 
small stove or slow fire, and stir till it nearly boils, remove from the 
fire and stir in one and one-fourth ounces .tartaric acid. Place it on 
the fire for half a minute, then dip out small quantities from the pan, 
and let it fall in small drops on a clean tin plate; remove the drops 
in two hours with a knife. 

Acid Stomach. — A little magnesia and water will sometimes cor- 
rect the acidity of a child's stomach, and render unnecessary any 
stronger medicine. Powder a teaspoonful of magnesia, and put it in 
half a glass of water; it will not dissolve, of course, but will mix with 
the water so that an infant can swallow it. Give a teaspoonful of this 
three times a day until indications warrant you in discontinuing it. 

.£olian Harp — to make. — This instrument, when placed in a win- 
dow in a draft of air, produces the most pleasing music. We here 
give directions whereby any one may construct one for himself: 
Length, thirty-two inches by six inches; depth, one and three- 
quarter inches. The strings are attached to the small hooks at 
the end, corresponding to the pegs. The strings must be about 
the thickness of the first string of the violin. These strings 
answer well, but if too expensive the small gut used by whip manu- 
facturers may be used. The bottom plank of the harp should be oak, 
three-quarters of an inch thick, length three feet, breadth ten inches. 
The bridges may be any sonorous wood (but steel will give the best 
sound), half an inch in height, cut angular to a blunt point. They 
must not be flattened down, but must be made to fit very flat to the 
bottom board, or it will jar and never play well. This is the great 
defect in all harps made by amateurs. The ends of the harps should 
be oak, one inch thick, and must be fixed very firmly to the bottom 
board, but not with metal screws or glue; and in these the pins are 
fixed for tightening the strings. Use fiddle-pins, half at each end. 
The top should be half an inch thick, and sycamore wood is the best, 
and m.ay be polished; it should be very slightly fastened on, for it has 
to be removed every time to tune. Common catgut does nearly as 
well as German. Get as thick a string as you can for one side, and a 
thin one for the other; then graduate them from the thick to the thin. 
so as not to have two alike. They are in general tune to treble C, but 
it is preferable to tune to low C, and then each string an octave 
higher. This is easily altered, if desii'able. The instriojnents must be 
very strong in all respects, for the strings exert almost incredible 
strength. The position for placing the harp at the window to be with 
the upper surface inclined towards the draft of air. 

Ague Cure. — Cut three lemons into thin slices and pound them 



8 WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

with a mallet, then take enough coffee to make a quart, boil it down 
to a pint and pour it while quite hot over the lemons. Let it stand 
till cold, then strain through a cloth, and take the whole at one dose, 
itii mediately after the chill is over, and />efoi'e the fever comes on. 

Ague Pill. — Quinine, twenty grains; Dover's powders, ten grains; 
subcarbonate of iron, ten grains; mix with mucilage of gum arable and 
form into twenty pills. Dose, two each hour, commencing five hours 
before the chill should set in. Then take one night and morning un- 
til all are taken. 

Alabaster — to clean. — For cleaning it there is nothing better than 
soap and water. Stains may be removed by washing with soap and 
water, then white-washing the stained part, letting it stand some hours, 
then washing off the white-wash, and rubbing the stained part. 

Ale (Ginger). — The Belfast ginger ale may be made as follows: 
Powered double refined sugar, sixteen ounces; essence of cayenne, 
four drachms; essence of lemon, forty drops. The soda, acid, and 
sugar must be carefully dried separately, at a temperature not ex- 
ceeding one hundred and twenty degrees; and the sugar, before dry- 
ing, must be thoroughly incorporated with the essences, to which a 
small quantity of caramel as coloring may be added. This forms a 
powder, a dessert-spoonful of which will make a tumblerful of the 
drink. 

Ammonia — uses of. — For washing paint, put a tablespoonful of 
spirits of ammonia in a quart of moderately hot water, dip in a flannel 
cloth, and with this simply wipe off the woodwork; no scrubbing will 
be necessary. 

For taking grease spots from any fabric, use the ammonia nearly 
pure, then lay white blotting paper over the spot and iron it lightly. 
In washing laces, put about twelve drops in a pint of warm suds. 

To clean silver, mix two teaspoonfuls of ammonia in a quart of hot 
soap suds, put in your silverware and wash it, using an old nail brush 
or tooth brush for the purpose. 

For cleaning hair brushes, etc, simply shake the brushes up and 
down in a mixture of one teaspoonful of ammonia to one pint of hot 
■water; when they are cleansed, rinse ihem in cold water, and stand 
them in the wind or in a hot place to dry. 

For washing finger marks from looking glasses or windows, put a few 
drops of ammonia on a moist rag, and make quick work of it. 

If you wish your house plants to flourish, put a few drops of the 
spirits in every pint of water used in watering. 

A teaspoonful in a basin of cold water adds much to the refreshing 
effects of a bath. 

Nothing is better than ammonia for cleaning the hair. In every 
case rinse off ammonia with clear water. 

Liquid ammonia is the most powerful and useful agent for cleaning 
silk stuffs and hats, and for neutralizing the effects of acids. In this 
latter case it is often enough to expose the spots to the vapor of am- 
monia, which makes them disappear entirely. 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. g 

Ants — several ways to destroy. — Put red pepper in the places the 
ants frequent the most, and scrub the shelves or drawers with strong 
carbolic soap. 

A small bag of sulphur kept in a drawer or cupboard, or saucers of 
olive-tar set where they are, will drive them away, 

A string wet in kerosene oil and tied around sugar barrels, lard 
cans, preserves, etc., is said to keep away ants. The string should 
be wet with the oil every few days. 

Ants may be driven awa)-^ by putting Scotch snuff wherever they 
are in the habit of going for food. 

A small spray of wormwood if placed on buttery shelves, will, it is 
said, destroy or drive away ants. 

Persons who are troubled with ants in their houses may get rid of 
them by rubbing the shelves with gum camphor. Two applications 
will be sufficient, with a week intervening. 

A strong solution of carbolic acid and water, poured into holes, kill 
all the ants it touches, and the survivors immediately take them- 
selves off. 

Ants that frequent houses or gardens may be destroyed by taking 
flour of brimstone half a pound, and potash four ounces; set them in 
an iron or earthen pan over the fire until dissolved and united; after- 
wards beat them to a powder, and infuse a little of this powder in 
water — and wherever you sprinkle it the ants will die or leave the 
place. 

Red ants may be banished from a pantry or store-room by strewing 
the shelves with a small quantity of cloves, either whole or ground. 
We use the former, as not being so likely to get in the food placed 
upon the shelves. The cloves should be renewed occasionally, as 
after a time they lose their strength and decay. 

Antiseptic. — Boracic acid is said to be one of the best antiseptics; 
one part of a ten per cent, solution added to eight of milk, is said to 
keep it fresh a week. 

Antiseptic. — Dr. Zollner states that carbon disulphide in a state of 
vapor is capable of acting as a powerful antiseptic. Two drops 
allowed to evaporate spontaneously in a closed vessel of the ordinary 
temperature were found to keep meat, fruit, vegetables, and bread in 
a perfectly fresh condition for several weeks. The articles submitted 
to the process acquire neither smell nor taste, the carbon disulphide 
evaporating entirely when they are exposed to the air at the ordinary 
temperature. The vapor of carbon disulphide being very mflamma- 
ble, all experiments should be performed during daylight. 

Anti-Fat Diet. — For those people whose embonpoint is a matter 
of solicitude, whether because it is uncomfortable or unfashionable, 
the following diet is proposed by a doctor; Lean mutton and beef, 
veal and lamb, soups not thickened, beef-tea and broth; poultry, 
game, fish, and eggs; bread in moderation; greens, cresses, lettuce, 
etc.; green peas, cabbage, cauliflower, onions; fresh fruit without 
sugar. 



lo WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

Apartments — to perfume. — The best and most simple method to 
diffuse the odor of any perfume throughout an apartment is to make 
use of a spirit-lamp. Into this lamp put the essence or scent, which 
should not contain water. Provide the lamp w^ith a thick wick, and 
place slightly above a small ball of spongy platinum; then light the 
wick, and when the platinum is red-hot, which Avill be the case in a 
few seconds, blow out the flame. The platinum ball will continue in 
a state of ignition as long as any spirit remains in the bottle, throw- 
ing off the perfume and vapor as it arises by means of the wick, and 
diffusing it generally throughout the whole apartment. In the ab- 
sence of a spirit-lamp, a narrow-necked bottle may be made use of; 
but care must be taken that it does not crack when the wick is alight. 
The lamp is the safest. 

Aperients. — For children nothing is better than: — i. Brimstone 
and treacle; to each teacupful of this, when mixed, add a teaspoonful 
of cream of tartar. As this sometimes produces sickness, the follow- 
ing may be used: 2. Take of tartrate of soda one dram and a 
half, powdered jalap and powdered rhubarb, each fifteen grains, gin- 
ger, two grains; mix. Dose for a child over five years, one small 
teaspoonful; over ten years, a large teaspoonful; for a person over 
twenty, three teaspoonsful, or the whole, as may be required by the 
habit of the person. This medicine may be dissolved in warm water, 
common or mint tea. This powder can be kept for use in a wide- 
mouthed bottle, and be in readiness for any emergency. 

Apothecaries' Weight. — Twenty grains make one scruple, three 
scruples one dram, eight drams one ounce, twelve ounces one 
pound. Medicines are always purchased wholesale by avoirdupois 
weight. For compounding liquids, an apothecary's glass measure 
will be found indispensable. A two or three ounce size will be large 
enough for most purposes. 

Apples — to keep. — i. Having selected the best fruit, wipe it per- 
fectly dry with a fine cloth, then take a jar of suitable size, the inside 
of which is thoroughly coated with cement, and having placed alayer 
of fine sand perfectly dry at the bottom, place thereon a layer of the 
fruit — apples or pears, as the case may be — but not so close 
as to touch each other, and then a layer of sand; and in this way pro- 
ceed till the vessel is full. Over the upper layer of fruit a thick 
Stratum of sand may be spread and lightly pressed down with the 
hands. In this manner choice fruit perfectly ripe may be kept for 
almost any length of tirne, if the jar be placed in a situation free from 
moisture. 

2. Take fine dry sawdust, preferably that made by a circular saw 
from well seasoned hard wood, and place a thick layer on bottom of 
4 barrel. Then place a layer of apples, not close together and no*- 
close to staves of the barrel. Put sawdust liberally over and around, 
and proceed until a bushel and a half, or less, are so packed in each 
barrel. They are to be kept in a cool place. 

Apple Butter. — Boil new cider down to one-half quantity. Pare, 



WIIA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 1 1 

cut and core equal quantities of sweet and sour apples. Put the 
sweet apples into a large kettle to soften a little first, as they are the 
hardest. Add enough boiled cider to cook them. After boiling half 
an hour, stirring often, put in the sour apples, and add more boiled 
cider, with molasses enough to sweeten moderately. Boil until ten- 
der, stirring to prevent burning. Pack in firkins or stone pots for 
winter use. 

Apple Molasses. — Take new sweet cider just from the press, made 
from sweet apples, and boil it down as thick as West India molasses. 
It should be boiled in brass, and not burned, as that would injure the 
flavor. It will keep in the cellar, and is said to be as good, and for 
many purposes, better, than molasses. 

Apple Punch. — Lay in a China bowl, slices of apples and lemons 
alternately, each layer being thickly strewed with powdered sugar. 
Pour over the fruit, when the bowl is half filled, a bottle of claret; 
cover, and let it stand for six hours, then pour it through a muslin 
bag, and it is all ready. 

Apple Toddy. — One tablespoonful of fine white sugar, four wine- 
glasses of cider brandy, one-half of a baked apple. Fill the glass two- 
thirds full of boiling water, and grate a little nutmeg on top. 

Arrowroot — substitute for. — Finest potato starch, seventy-five 
pounds lump sugar, four pounds finely-ground rice, twenty-one 
pounds. Mix, and sift through lawn; yields one-hundred pounds 
excellent arrowroot. 

Artichokes — to pickle. — Gather young artichokes as soon as form- 
ed; throw them into boiling brine, and let them boil two minutes; drain 
them; when cold and dry, put them in jars, and cover with vinegar, 
the only spices employed should be ginger, mace, and nutmeg. 

Artificial Skin — for burns, bruises, etc. — Take gun cotton and 
Venice turpentine, equal parts of each, and dissolve them in twenty 
times as much sulphuric ether, dissolving the cotton first, then adding 
the turpentine, keep it corked tightly. Water does not effect it, hence 
its value for cracked nipples, chapped hands, surface bruises, etc., etc. 

Articles of Dress — to renovate. — Oils and fats are the substances 
which form the greater part of simple stains. They give a deep shade 
to the ground of the cloth; they continue to spread for several days; 
they attract the dust and retain it so strongly, that it is not removable 
by the brush; and they eventually render the stain lighter-colored upon 
a dark ground, and of a disagreeable gray tint upon a pale or light 
ground. The general principle of cleansing all spots consist in apply- 
ing to them a substance which shall have a stronger affinity for the 
matter composing them than this has for the cloth, and which shall 
render them soluble in some liquid menstruum, such as water, spirits, 
oil of turpentine, etc. Alkalies would seem to be proper in this point of 
view, as they are the most powerful solvents of grease; but they act 
too strongly upon silk and wool, as well as change too powerfully the 
colors of dyed stuffs, to be safely applicable in removing stains. The 
best substances for this purpose are: — i. Soap. 2. Chalk, fullers' eart\ 



12 WIIA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

soap-stone. These should be merely diffused through a litt.e water 
into a thin paste, spread upon the stain, and allowed to dry. The 
spot requires now to be merely brushed. 3. Ox-gall and yolk of eggs 
have the property of dissolving fatty bodies without affecting per- 
ceptibly the texture or colors of cloth, and may therefore be employed 
with advantage. The ox-gall should be purified, to prevent its green- 
ish tint from degrading the brilliancy of dyed stuffs, or the purity of 
whites. 4. The volatile oil of turpentine will only take out recent 
stains, for which purpose it ought to be previously purified by dis- 
tillation over quick lime. Wax, resin, turpentine, pitch, and all 
resinous bodies in general, form stains of greater or less adhesion, 
which may be dissolved out by pure alcohol. 

Asparagus — to cook. — Scrape the stalks till they are clean ; throw 
them into a pan of cold water, tie them up in bundles of about a 
quarter of a hundred each; cut off the stalks at the bottom all of a 
length, leaving enough to serve as a handle for the green part; put 
them into a stew-pan of boiling water, with a handful of salt in it. 
Let it boil, and skim it. When they are tender at the stalk, which 
Avill be in from twenty to thirty minutes, they are done enough, 
Watch the exact time of their becoming tender; take them up that in- 
stant. While the asparagus is boiling, toast a slice of bread about half an 
inch thick; brown it delicately on both sides; dip it lightly in the liquor 
the asparagus was boiled in, and lay it in the middle of a dish; meU 
some butter, but do not put it over them. Serve with butter. 

Asparagus — as a lawn-plant. — A friend suggests a very good idea 
as to asparagus: "Of course the old plan of sticking the plant in 
close beds is all wrong. There are many bits of fine soil in gardens, 
even the so-called pleasure grounds, and hardy plant borders, where 
a strong clump of the common asparagus would be a great ornament 
as well as of use. I shall plant a hundred or more good clumps of 
asparagus in our borders here, partly for its tender shoots in spring, 
partly for its spray for cutting during the summer and autumn 
months, but mainly for its feathery grace as a beautiful, hardy plant. 
In many a villa garden, even where good asparagus may never be 
seen raised in the ordinary way, a capital supply could be obtained 
by simpl}^ dotting a few plants here and there in borders, and on the 
margin of shrubberies, not only as single specimens, but as groups 
and masses — never, however, nearer to each other than four feet." 

Asthma — simple remedy for. — Take a strong saturated solution of 
nitrate of potassa; dip tinder into it, and then allow it to dry. Procure 
a wide-mouth phial, the cork of which has an aperture in the center, so 
as to admit any hollow tube whatever — a pipe closed at the end for 
example. Light the piece of tinder and place it in the phial. .Then 
cause the patient to inhale the gases that ax'e disengaged, either through 
mouth or nostrils. At the end of a few respirations he will find relief 
which will augment. In regard to an explanation of this mode of 
treatment, it is supposed that a small portion of oxygen, disengaged 
by the combustion of the nitrate of potassa, is inhaled by thq,patient. 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 1 3 

It is known that in asthmatic patients the sanguineus circulation is 
incomplete in the lungs, and the blood is imperfectly regenerated, that 
it is black, and does not burn its excess of carbon. By the oxygen 
absorbed, therefore, combustion may be facilitated. 

Asthma — relief for. — The following simple contrivance will fre- 
quently be found to give relief to those who suffer from difficulty in 
breathing, arising from asthma and also from other causes: Keep a 
kettle of water boiling upon the fire, or over a spirit-lamp, and affix to 
the spout of it a tin tube, of such length and form as shall serve to 
throw off the steam in front of the patient. This will create a moist, 
warm atmosphere, and prevent that distressing sensation which is 
always occasioned to asthmatic patients by breathing the dry cold air 
of the night. 

Asthma Remedies. — i. Elecampane, angelica, comfrey, and 
spikenard roots with hoarhound tops, of each, one ounce; bruise and 
steep in honey, one pint. Dose, a tablespoonful taken hot every few 
minutes, until relief is obtained, then several times daily until a cure 
is effected. 

2. — Oil of tar, one dram; tincture of veratrum viride, two drams; 
simple syrup, two drams; mix. Dose, for adults, fifteen drops three 
or four times daily. Iodide of potassium has cured a bad case of 
asthma, by taking five grain doses three times daily. Take one- 
eighth ounce and put it in a phial, and add thirty-two teaspoons of 
water; then one teaspoon of it will contain the five grains which put 
into one-half gill more water, and drink before meals. 

Asphalt (for walks, etc.) — Materials. — Coal-tar, road-sand, or 
coal-ashes. Level the place intended to be covered with asphalt, give it 
a thin coat of tar, and sift over this some dry road-sand or coal-ashes. 
Let it harden, and repeat the operation four or five times. 

Ashes from Soil — by spontaneous combustion. — Make your 
mound twenty-one feet long by ten and one-half feet wide. To fire, 
use seventy-two bushels of lime. First a layer of dry sods or parings 
on which a quantity of lime is spread, mixing sod with it; then a cover- 
ing of eight inches of sods, on which the other half of the lime is 
spread, and covered a foot thick, the height of the mound being about 
a yard. In twenty-four hours it will take fire. The lime should be 
fresh from the kiln. It is better to suffer it to ignite itself than to effect 
it by the operation of water. When the fire is fairly kindled, fresh 
sods must be applied; but get a good body of ashes in the first place. 
I think it may be fairly supposed that the lime adds fully its worth 
to the quality of the ashes, and, when limestone can be got, I would 
advise the burning a small quantity in the mounds, which would be 
a great improvement to the ashes, and would help to keep the fire in. 

Attar of Roses — to make. — Fill a large earthen jar, or other ves- 
sel, with the leaves of rose-flowers picked over and freed from all 
dust and dirt. Pour upon them as much pure spring water as will 
cover them, and from sunrise to sunset, for six or seven days in suc- 
cession, set the vessel where it will receive the sun's rays. At the end 



14 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

of the third or fourth day a number of particles of a fine yellow oily 
matter will float on the surface, which, after a day or two, will gather 
into a scum. This is the attar of roses. It must be taken up as often 
as it appears, with a piece of cotton tied to a stick, and squeezed from 
this into a small phial, which must be kept corked and tied over. 

Autumn Leaves — to preserve and use. — Autumn leaves are used 
in various methods, the most popular being, perhaps, to dry them 
flatly and carefully, and take great care to preserve their stalks. When 
thoroughly dry they are varnished, which gives them a pretty gloss,, 
and also acts as a preservative to them from all insects and moths. 
After this they are carefully laid aside for the decoration of the winter 
dinner table, and may be most safely preserved in a tin box with a 
well fitting cover. Grasses added to them are very effective, and 
when dry they may be dyed. They may be also frosted when dry, 
by dipping each stalk into a solution of alum and leaving them to dry 
upright. With the grasses and leaves may be used the dried everlast- 
ing flowers and the prepared moss, but no little taste is needed in 
their arrangement to avoid the least heaviness of effect. I have found 
that glass vases and stands are the most effective for their arrange- 
ment, as the transparancy of these increase the wished-for lightness 
and grace. 

Awnings — to make waterproof. — Plunge first into a solution con- 
taining twenty per cent, soap, and afterward in another solution the 
same percentage of copper. Wash afterwards. 

Axle Grease — to make. — Take one part good plumbago (black 
lead) sifted through a coarse muslin so as to be perfectly free from 
grit, and stir it into five quarts of lard, warmed so as to be stirred 
easily without melting. Stir vigorously until it is smooth and uni 
form. Then raise the heat until the mixture melts. Stir constantly, 
remove from the fire, and keep stirring until cold. Apply cold to the 
axle or any other bearing with a brush. If intended for use where 
the axle or bearing is in a warm apartment, as the interior of mills, 
etc., two ounces of hard tallow or one ounce of beeswax may be used 
to every ten pounds of the mixture. This grease is cheaper in use 
than oil, tallow or tar, or any compound of them. 

Babies — how^ to put to sleep. — A baby is the most nervous of be- 
ings, and the tortures it suffers in going to sleep and being awakened 
by careless sounds when " dropping off," are only comparable to the 
saijae experience of an older person during the acute nervous head- 
ache. Young babies ought to pass the first months of their lives in 
the country, for its stillness no less than its fresh air. But where 
silence is not to be commanded, baby may be soothed by folding a 
soft napkin, wet in warmish water, lightly over the top of its head, 
its eyes and ears. It is the best way to put nervous babies to sleep. 
It has been tried hundreds of times for a child so irritable that pare- 
goric and soothing syrup only made it wide awake. A fine towel 
would be wet and laid over its head, the ends twisted a little till it 
made a sort of a skull-cap, and, though baby sometimes fought against 



WITA T E VER Y ONE SHOULD KNO JV. 15 

being blindfolded in this way, five minutes usually sent bim off into 
deep and blissful slumber. The compress cooled the little feverish 
brain, deadened sound in his ears, and shut out everything that took 
his attention, so that sleep caught him unawares. Teething babies 
find this very comfortable, for their heads are always hot, and there 
is a fevered beating in the arteries each side. 

Baby Basket — to make. — Procure a large round basket and a 
small camp-stool. Measure the size round the top of the basket; get 
the quantity of material, measure the depth of basket and allow the 
scallops to fall over the edge. Bind the scallops; fasten it to the 
edge of the basket, draw it down tightly to the bottom in plaits. Cut 
a round piece of material the shape of the bottom of basket, fasten it 
round the edge, and finish with a box-plaiting of ribbons. Make the 
cushions and pockets to please the fancy, A box-plaiting round the 
top of basket, also round the scallops. Between each scallop put a 
bow or cord, and tassels of worsted; fasten this on the camp-stool, 
around which put a ruffle of the same material the basket is lined 
with. 

Baby Food. — Put one teacupful of oatmeal in two quarts of boiling 
water, slightly salted. Let it cook two hours and a half, then strain. 
When cool, to one gill of gruel add one gill of thin cream and one 
teaspoonful of sugar. To this then add one pint of boiling water, 
and it is ready for use. This can be digested when milk and all else 
fail. 

Bacon — how to select. — Bacon should have a thin rind, and the 
fat should be firm and tinged red by the curing. The flesh should be 
of a clear red, without intermixture of yellow, and it should firmly 
adhere to the bone. To judge the state of a ham, plunge a knife into 
it to the bone; on drawing it back, if particles of meat adhere to it, or 
if the smell is disagreeable, the curing has not been effectual, and the 
ham is not good. It should, in such a state, be immediately cooked. 
In buying a ham, a short, thick one, is to be preferred to the long and 
thin. 

Bad Breath — remedy for. — Take eight drops of muriatic acid m 
half a tumbler of spring-water, and add a little lemon-peel or juice to 
suit the palate. Let this mixture be taken three times a day for some 
time, and, if found beneficial, then use it occasionally. 

Bad Breath — to relieve. — Bad breath, from catarrh, foul stomach, 
or bad teeth, may be temporarily relieved by diluting a little bromo- 
chloralum with eight or ten parts of water, and using it as a gargle, 
and swallowing a few drops just before going out. 

Bag for Knitting Work. — In these days of knitting and crochet- 
ing, a small pocket or bag is convenient to hold the balls of wool, silk 
or cotton, and the needles or crochet hooks. This knitting-work 
pocket is worn attached to the belt, and is made of ecru linen, and 
lined with red satin, or any other material that one may fancy. Cut 
from each of these materials five pieces of the following dimensions: 
Two inches wide at the top, not allowing for seams, one-half inch 



1 6 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO IV. 

wide at the bottom, and six inches long. These pieces are cut so as 
to bulge out at the sides, and are each four inches in width at the 
widest part. Embroider the linen in any design that you may fancy, 
but it seems desirable that this should be in outline stitch, and done 
with red silk. Join the linen pieces so that the seams are on the right 
side; notch them so that they will lie flat, and cover them with red 
silk braid, cross-stitched with some contrasting tone or color. Join 
the lining and place inside this, and bind the top with the same braid 
and fasten down in the same manner. Work a red silk eyelet-hole in 
one of the side pieces to allow the end of the wool you are working 
with to come through. Close the bottom of the bag with a bunch of 
loops of red satin ribbon, and sew an end of the same ribbon, in which 
is sewed quite a large shield pin to fasten it to the dress belt. 

Baking Powder — to make. — Take six ounces of carbonate of s )da, 
four ounces of tartaric acid, two ounces of sugar (very finely sifted), 
one ounce of salt. All must be mixed very completely together, and, 
after the flour has been made into dough (with water for bread, or 
milk for rolls), add one teaspoonful of the powder to every pound 
of flour, and mix thoroughly. If the powder is to be kept, it must 
be put into open-mouthed dry bottles, corked and kept in a dry place. 

Bald Head — remedy for. — A most valuable remedy for promoting 
the growth of the hair, is an application once or twice a day, of wild 
indigo and alcohol. Take four ounces wild indigo, and steep it about 
a week or ten days in a pint of alcohol and a pint of hot water, when it 
will be ready for use. The head must be thoroughly washed with the 
liquid, morning and evening, application being made with a sponge or 
soft brush. Another excellent preparation is composed of three ounces 
of castor oil, with just enough alcohol to cut the oil, to which add 
twenty drops tincture of cantharides, and perfume to suit. This not 
only softens and imparts a gloss to the hair, but also invigorates and 
strengthens the roots of the hair. 

Balm of Gilead. — Opodeldoc, spirits of wine, sal amn>oniac, equal 
parts of each. Shake. Bottle and label. Cures neuralgia, pains, 
aches, etc. Apply as a lotion. 

Balsam (Indian). — Clear, pale resin, three pounds and melt it, 
adding spirits of turpentine, one quart; balsam of tolu, one ounce; 
balsam of fir, four ounces; oil of hemlock, origanum, with Venice 
turpentine, of each, one ounce; strained honey, four ounces; mix 
well, and bottle. Dose, six to twelve drops; for a child of six, 
three to five drops, on a little sugar. The dose can be varied accord- 
ing to the ability of the stomach to bear it and the necessity of the 
case. It is a valuable preparation for coughs, internal pains, or 
strains, and works benignly upon the kidneys. 

Bandages. — Bandages can be made by tearing a sheet into narrow 
strips, rolling each one tightly and fastening the end with a pin. Old 
linen does not mean worn out shirt-fronts, but soft pieces of table- 
cloths, napkins or cambric handkerchiefs. 

Banners— to paint.— Stretch the fabric upon a frame, and finish 



IVHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 17 

your design and lettering. Use a size made of bleached sheilac dis- 
solved in alcohol, thinned to the proper consistence, go over such 
parts as are to be gilded or painted, overrunning the outlines slightly, 
to prevent the color from spreading. For inside work the white of 
an Q%^ makes a good size; lay the gold while the size is still wet; 
when dry, dust off the surplus gold, and proceed with the shading, 
painting, etc. A little honey, combined with thick glue, is another 
good size. 

Barometer — to make. — Take a long, narrow bottle, and put into 
it two and one-half drams of camphor; spirits of wine eleven 
drams. When the camphor is dissolved, add to it the following 
mixture: Water, nine drams; saltpeter, thirty-eight grains; sal- 
ammoniac, thirty-eight grains. Dissolve these salts in the water 
prior to mixing with the camphorated spirit; then shake all well to- 
gether, cork the bottle well, wax the top, but afterwards make a very 
small aperture in the cork with a red-hot needle. By observing the 
different appearances which the materials assume as the weather 
changes, it becomes an excellent prognosticator of a coming storm or 
a sunny sky. 

Barometers — handy and cheap. — i. One that answers the purpose 
of indicating the approach of fair or foul weather, can be made as fol- 
lows: Take an eight-ounce bottle, the glass being clear and white, 
and put into it six ounces of the highest colored whisky to be ob- 
tained, and put into it all the gum-camphor it will dissolve, and a 
little more. Set in some convenient place. On the approach of rain 
or bad weather the camphor will settle toward the bottom of the bot- 
tle; the heavier the rain, or the more sultry the weather, the closer 
the camphor will settle to the bottom. Fair weather is indicated by 
the feather-like appearance of the camphor which rises and floats in 
the liquid. If alcohol is used, it must be diluted so that it will not be 
stronger than the whisky, for if it is, so much of the camphor will be 
held in solution that the atmosphere will have no perceptible effect 
upon it. 

2. Take an eight-ounce phial, and put in it three gills of water, 
and place in it a healthy leech, changing the water in summer 
once a week, and in winter once in a fortnight, and it will most ac- 
curately prognosticate the weather. If the weather is to be fine, the 
leech lies motionless at the bottom of the glass and coiled together in 
a spiral form; if rain may be expected, it will creep up to the top of 
its lodgings and remain there till the weather is settled; if Ave are to 
have wind, it will move through its habitation with amazing swift- 
ness, and seldom goes to rest till it begins to blow hard; if a remark- 
able storm of thunder and rain is to succeed, it will lodge for some 
days before almost continually out of the water, and discover great 
uneasiness in violent throes and convulsive-like motions; in frost, as 
in clear, summer-like weather, it lies constantly at the bottom; and 
in snow, as in rainy weather, it pitches its dwelling in the very mouth 
of the phial. The top should be covered over with a piece of muslin. 



1 8 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO TV. 

Basket for Flowers. — Very beautiful baskets for holding flowers 
can be made of the longer and more feathery kind of mosses. A 
light frame, of any shape you like, should be made with wire and 
covered with common pasteboard or calico, and the moss, which 
should first be well picked over and cleansed from any bits of dirt or 
dead leaves which may be hanging about it, gathered into little tufts, 
and sewed with a coarse needle and thread to the covering, so as to 
clothe it thickly with a close and compact coating, taking care that 
the points of the moss are all outward. A long handle, constructed 
in the same manner, should be attached to the basket, and a tin or 
other vessel filled with either wet sand or water, placed within to hold 
the flowers. By dipping the whole structure into water once in three 
or four days, its verdure and elasticity will be fully preserved. 

Bath-Bag. — Make a small square bag of flannel, leaving one end 
partly open. In this put all the remnants of soap as the pieces be- 
come too small to handle easily. When the bag is filled, baste up 
the opening, and it makes a good bath-tub arrangement. 

Bathing Rules. — Avoid bathing within two hours after a meal. 

Avoid bathing when exhausted by fatigue or from any other cause. 

Avoid bathing when the body is cooling after perspiration. 

Avoid bathing altogether in the open air, if after having been a 
short time in the water, it causes a sense of chilliness and numbness 
of the hands and feet. 

Bathe when the body is warm, provided no time is lost in getting 
into the water. 

Avoid chilling the body by sitting or standing undressed on the 
banks or in boats after having been in the water. 

Avoid remaining too long in the water; leave the water immedi- 
ately there ic the slightest feeling of chillness. 

The vigorous and strong may bathe early in the morning on an 
empty stomach. 

The young, and those who are weak, had better bathe two or three 
hours after a meal; the best time for such is from two to three hours 
after breakfast. 

Those who are subject to attacks of giddiness or faintness, and 
those who suffer from palpitation and other sense of discomfort at 
the heart, should not bathe without first consulting their medical ad- 
viser. 

Bay Rum — to make. — Saturate one-quarter pound of carbonate 
of magnesia with oil of bay; pulverize the magnesia, place it in a 
filter, and pour water through it until the desired quantity is ob- 
tained, then add alcohol. The quantity of water and alcohol em- 
ployed depends on the desired strength and quantity of the bay rum. 
Another: — Oil of bay, ten fluid drams; oil of pimento, one fluid 
dram; acetic ether, two fluid drams; alcohol, three gallons; wa- 
ter, two and a half gallons. Mix, and after two weeks' repose, filter. 

Bay Rum. — To one pint of alcohol add one pint of water, one tea- 
spoonful of powdered borax, and one-half dram oil of bay. 



IVHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. ig 

Beans — to bake. — Prepare the beans by soaking over night and 
boiling as usual. I use a quart pot for my pint of beans, as the milk 
boils over so easily. Put in the beans, salt, and a tablespoonful of 
molasses, cover well with milk, and refill as it cooks away. Give nine 
or ten hours' baking in a slow oven, and you will have beans de- 
licious and healthful. People with weak digestive powers can eat 
beans cooked in this way without harm. 

Beds — should be aired. — It must be a false idea of neatness, which 
demands that beds should be made soon after being vacated. Let it 
be remembered that more than three-fifths of the solids and liquids 
taken inio the stomach, should pass off through the pores of the skin 
— seven millions in number — and that this escape is most rapid during 
the night, while warm in bed. At least one-half of the waste and 
putrid matter — from twenty to thirty ounces in the night — it must be- 
come more or less tangled in the bedding, of course soding, and a 
part of this may become reabsorbed by the skin, if it is allowed to 
come in contact with it on the next night, as it must, if the bedding is 
not exposed for a few hours in the light. We may well imitate the 
Dutch example of placing such bedding on two chairs, near the win- 
dow in the sunlight, or in the window, that the light of the sun — the 
best purifier known — may dissipate their impurities, or neutralize 
them. At least three hours, on the average, is as short exposure as 
is compatible with neatness. 

Bed-Bug — remedy. — Blue ointment and kerosene, mixed in equal 
proportions, and applied to the bedsteads, is an unfailing bed-bug 
remedy; and a coat of whitewash is ditto for wooden walls. 

Beds — to heat. — To heat a bed at a moment's notice, throw a little 
salt into the warming-pan and suffer it to burn for a minute previous 
to use. 

Bed — to ascertain vw^hen it is aired. — Introduce a glass goblet be- 
tween the sheets for a minute or two, just when the warming-pan is 
taken out; if the bed be dry, there will only be a slight cloudy appear- 
ance on the glass, but if not, the damp on the bed will assume the 
more formidable appearance of drops, the warning of danger. 

Bed-Sores — to prevent. — The patient being often obliged to lie in 
one position, bed-sores occur — being due to long continued pressure 
on parts whose general vitality is weakened. They usually form at 
the lower end of the backbone. Much may be done to prevent them 
by keeping the under sheet perfectly smooth, clean, and dry. Pres- 
sure on any one point may be avoided by changing the position fre- 
quently. The parts of the body resting most heavily on the bed, 
when the skin is not broken, should be sponged three or four times 
daily with alcohol or whisky and water. Air cushions, so made as 
to remove all pressure from the lower end of the backbone, are use- 
ful. 

Beef — to corn. — Put six gallons of pure water in a large wash ket- 
tle, and add thereto six pounds of saltpeter, and set down to boiling. 
When the saltpeter is fully dissolved and the water boiling, immerse 



20 WHA T E VER Y ONE SHOULD KNO W. 

your beef, previously, cut into convenient pieces for family use, in 
the boiling saltpeter water. It can be held so in the water on a large 
flesh fork, or long hook. Let it remain immersed while you count 
ten, slowly. Take out, let it get quite cold, and then pack closely 
and firmly in the cask or barrel. To your boiling saltpeter water now 
add nine pounds of fine salt, three pounds of pure, dry sugar, one 
quart of best molasses, and one of pearlash. Boil slowly, and as the 
impurities arise, skim off. If your water should have been long boil- 
ing, while immersing the beef, add half a gallon more to supply loss 
by evaporation. When this pickle is perfectly cold, pour over the 
beef and hold down by heavy weight. The scalding of the beef in 
the saltpeter water closes the pores, prevents the juice of the meat 
going out into the pickle, and instead of the strong, tough, juiceless 
and salty stuff usually sold as corned beef, you have a juicy, com- 
pact, tender piece of beef, as inviting as the rump roast of a stall-fed 
ox, and deliciously flavored. 

Beef (good) — to choose. — The grain of ox beef, when good, is 
loose, the meat red, and the fat inclining to yellow. Cow beef, on 
the contrary, has a closer grain, a whiter fat, but meat scarcely as red 
as that of ox beef. Inferior beef, which is meat obtained from ill-fed 
animals, oi from those which had become too old for food, may be 
known by a hard, skinny fat, a dark red lean, and, in old animals, a 
line of horny texture running through the meat of the ribs. When 
meat pressed by the finger rises up quickly, it may be considered as 
that of an animal which was in its prime; when the dent made by 
pressure returns slowly, or remains visible, the animal had probably 
passed its prime, and the meat consequently must be of inferior qual- 
ity. 

Beef — spiced. — Boil a chine of ten or twelve pounds until the 
meat falls from the bone, pick the meat to pieces, mash the gristle 
fine, rejecting all parts too hard to mash. Cool the liquor and take 
off all the fat, boil it down to one and one-half pints, then return the 
meat, and while hot add salt and pepper to taste, and if relished, a 
little nutmeg, sage and one-half teaspoonful of cloves, and same of 
cassia. Let it boil up once and put it in a mould, pan, or deep dish 
to cool. Slice as wanted. 

Beef — to cure quickly. — To cure fresh beef, hams, or shoulders, 
in a short time, put one or two pounds of good salt in a kettle or 
spider, and heat it over the stove until all the moisture is expelled 
and the salt is so hot that it will hiss when a drop of water is dropped 
in. It will take about two pounds of salt to one hundred pounds of 
meat. Just before removing from the fire, where it must be con- 
stantly stirred, add one ounce of pulverized saltpeter to each pound 
of salt, or in that proportion. Have the meat ready; if hams, lay 
them on the skin-side, and over all parts where the flesh is exposed 
rul) thickly with brovv'n sugar; then with a large iron spoon apply the 
hot salt, which will penetrate the meat and take the sugar with it. 
Cover well with this salt, and lay in a- boi' on a shelf in the same 



WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOIV. 21 

position for two days, when the hams can be smoked if desired, and 
they will have all the flavor of sugar-cured hams. Treat beef in the 
sanie way, one side at a time, and after two of three days hang up to 
dry. I have prepared the finest dried beef I ever saw in this way. 

Beef — to keep. — To keep fresh beef, mutton or fish, in warm 
weather without salt, dissolve borax in water at the rate of one-quar- 
ter or a pound of borax to one gallon of water. Cool the meat, and 
then cover with this liquid in a clean jar or barrel. It can be kept 
for weeks in this way. Salt can be added to season, if desired. 

Beef — to boil. — The round is the best boiling piece. Put the 
meat in the pot, with water enough to cover it; let it boil very slow 
at first. This is the great secret of making it tender. Take off the 
scum as it rises. From two to three hours, according to size, is the 
time for boiling. 

Beef — to roast. — The nicest pieces for roasting are the sirloin and 
rib pieces; the " middle or second cut ribs" are considered the best, 
but the " first cut ribs " are the smallest and most suitable for a small 
family. Ask your butcher to remove the bone, roll the meat into a 
round shape, and tie securely with a stout string. Then, before send- 
ing it to the table, you can remove the string and insert one or two 
steel skewers. Before placing the meat to roast dredge all over with 
flour, seasoned with salt; then place it upon a grating in your drip- 
ping-pan and put it in a very hot oven; baste frequently; if the meat 
is very fat you will need no water in your pan; if not, you had bet- 
ter pour a small cup of boiling water into the pan after it has been in 
the oven fifteen minutes. A piece weighing eight or nine pounds 
will cook in an hour, that is, if you like your meat rare. Remove 
the meat when done to a heated dish, skim the drippings, add a little 
boiling water (a little browned flour if you wish), and boil up once ; 
then strain it and send to table in a gravy-boat. 

Beef — balls. — Any piece of cold beef or other meat may be chop- 
ped fine, mixed Avith cold potato also chopped, bread-crumbs, and 
chopped hard-boiled eggs. Season well with salt and pepper, make 
into flat balls, and fry as you would codfish balls. They are excel- 
lent. 

Beef^frizzled. — Chip the beef as thin as paper with a very sharp 
knife. Melt in a frying-pan butter the size of an ^^%, stir the beef 
about in it for two or three minutes, dust in a little flour, add half a 
teacupful of rich cream, boil and serve in a covered dish. 

Beef Tea (frozen). — For children and invalids it has been found to 
be a successful method to freeze beef tea, and to administer it in 
lumps to children or patients to suck. They will take it in this form 
rather than any other kind of food. 

Bees — how to manage. — The great secret, or charm, as many peo- 
ple suppose it to be, can all be summed up in one word — "smoke," 
One can handle them just as well as another, if they have the nerve 
and determined will to do so; and this knowledge and the bee-smoker 
are the first requisites. The bee-smoker is a small bellows with a tin 



22 'WHA T E VER Y ONE SIIO ULD KNO W. 

fire-box attached for burning rotten wood or cotten rags, or, in fact, 
anything that will burn and make a good smoke. There are now a 
half dozen or more kinds in the market that sell for from seventy- 
five cents to two dollars, so that no one who keeps even a single hive 
of bees need have any excuse for being without one. I will say, em- 
phatically, never goto a hiveof bees to do anything with them without 
your smoker trimmed and burning. The first thing before disturbing 
the hive in any way, puff a few whiffs of smoke in at the entrance; 
this will generaly drive in the sentinels, and also prevent any from 
coming out. If they are Italians, this will almost always be sufficent; 
but if they are crosser kinds, it had better be repeated a few times. This 
will frighten and excite them, and they will at once fill themselves 
with honey, which makes them very docile, unless they are accident- 
ally pinched. After waiting a few minutes, the lid or cover to the hive 
may be raised, but do it gently; in fact, always do every thing gently 
about them, as all quick motions or jars of the hive tend to exasper- 
ate them. As soon as you raise the lid a little, send in more smoke, 
and enough if necessary, to drive them down and out of the way; 
then proceed to put on or take off boxes, or do all the work necessary. 
If they begin to come up or to dispute your right, use more smoke to 
convince them you are master of the situation. But from the very 
start just make up j'our mind that you can and 7vill, and that is half 
the battle. With Italians, after the first few puffs of smoke, they can 
often be handled for an hour or two without any more smoke, but with 
blacks or hybrids it may be necessary to repeat the dose every few 
minutes. Smoke does not injure them at all. 

Bee-Hive Covers — to prevent leaking. — To prevent bee-hive cov- 
ers from leaking, tack on flour sacks and give them two good coats 
of paint, and they will stand out doors for years and not leak a drop. 

Bee Stings — cure for. — Take a pinch in the finger of common salt, 
put on the place stung and dissolve with water, rub with the finger. 
If not relieved in one minute wet the place with aqua ammonia. 
Care should be taken not to get the ammonia into the eye. I have 
used this remedy for several years and it has never failed with me. 
It has always arrested the poison and prevented swelling. 

Beeswax — to render. — To render beeswax, put the wax into a 
thin muslin bag, and add some pebbles to make it sink into a wash- 
boiler containing water. Let it boil, then press out the wax with a 
pair of squeezers (i. e. two narrow boards fastened together at the end 
with a cord). Then skim and pour ifito a bucket partly filled with 
warm water, and set away to cool. 

Beer (Ginger), — i. To a pail half-filled with boiling water add one 
pint of molasses and two spoonfuls of ginger; when well stirred, fill 
the pail with cold water, leaving room for one pint of yeast, which 
must not be put in until the preparation becomes lukewarm. Place 
it on a warm hearth for the night and bottle in the morning. 

2. White sugar, twenty pounds; lemon juice, eighteen ounces; 
honey, one pound; bruised ginger, seventeen ounces; v.'ater, eighteen 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHOULD KNO W. 23 

gallons; boil the ginger in three gallons of the water for half an 
hour; then add the sugar, the juice, and the honey, with the remainder 
of the water, and strain through a cloth; when cold add the white of 
an egg and half an ounce of the essence ol lemon; after standing four 
days, bottle. This beverage will keep for many months. 

Beer (Hop). — Mix fourteen pounds of molasses and eleven gallons of 
water well together, and boil them for two hours with eleven ounces 
of hops. When quite cold add a cupful of yeast, and let the mixture 
ferment for sixteen hours in a tub covered with a sack. Then put it 
in a cask and keep it filled. Bung it down in two days, and in seven 
days it will be fit to drink, and will be stronger than London porter. 

Beer (Root). — Mix together a small amount of sweet fern, sarsa- 
parilla, winter-green, sassafras, princesspine, and spicewood. Boil 
them .with two or three ounces of hops and two or three raw potatoes, 
pared and sliced in three or four gallons of water. After boiling five 
or six hours, strain off the liquor, and add to it common molasses in 
the proportion of one quart to three gallons of the beer. If it is too 
thick, dilute it with water. A half pound of browned bread added to 
the liquor, will increase its richness. 

Beer (White Spruce). — Mix together three pounds of loaf sugar, 
five gallons of water, a cup of good yeast, adding a small piece of 
lemon-peel, and enough of the essence of spruce to give it flavor. 
When fermented, preserve in close bottles. Molasses or common 
brown sugar can be used, if necessary, instead of loaf, and the lemon- 
peel left out. Sometimes, when unable to obtain the essence of spruce, 
we have boiled down the twigs. This will be found a delightful home 
drink. 

Belladonna Mixture. — To be taken as a preventive when fevers or 
any infectious complaints are prevalent. Extract Belladonna, five 
ounces; Aquae Cinnamomi, two ounces. Take fifteen drops of the 
above in a tablespoonful of water every morning for ten or twelve 
days. Children to have as many drops as they are years old. 

Belting — ways to manage, etc. — Leather belts will last double 
the usual time if treated with castor oil, will be rat proof, will always 
remain flexible and will not crack. A belt four inches wide will be 
equal to one six inches wide without it. It requires about twenty- 
four hours to penetrate the leather; if used sooner the greasiness will 
cause it to slip. A leather belt should have a speed of one thousand 
three hundred feet per minute, and not more than one thousand eight 
hundred feet or it will not last long. Leather belts, with grain side to 
pulley will drive thirty-five per cent, more than the flesh side, because 
it is less porous, thus admitting less air between the surfaces. Pulleys 
covered with leather will evolve full fifty per cent, more power than 
the naked pulley. To increase the power of rubber belting, use red 
lead, French yellow and litharge, equal parts; mix with boiled linseed 
oil and japan suflEicient to make it dry quick. This will produce a 
highly polished surface. Experiments without lubricants resulted in 
showing the following co-efficients: Oak upon oak, sixty-two; wrought 



24 WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KXOW. 

iron on oak, forty-nine to sixty-two; cast iron on oak, sixty-five; 
Avroughit iron on cast, nineteen; cast iron on cast, sixteen; cast iron 
axles on lignum-vitte bear.ngs, eighteen; copper on oak, sixty-two; 
iron on elm, twenty-five; pear tree on cast iron, forty-four; iron axles 
on lignum-vitse bearings (with oil), eleven; iron axles with brass bear- 
ings (with oil), seven. A belt five inch wide, velocity one thousand 
feet per minute, on leather covered pulleys, Vv'ill yield five horse 
power; double the speed and it will evolve double the power. 

Bengal Lights — to make. — Take of nitrate of potassa (saltpeter), 
eight parts; sublimed sulphur, four parts; and antimony, one part; let 
them be well mixed in powder and beat firmly into a stout iron cup, 
and set on fire; if a little camphor be added it is still more brilliant. 
Such lights are made use of for communicating at a great distance by 
sea at night. 

Benzine — uses of, — Benzine dissolve fats and oils, resins, varnish- 
es, paint, etc., so readily, that it is largely used for the purpose of clean- 
ing clothing and other fabrics. It is within the recollection of many 
that benzine was once rather costly, and could only be purchased in 
small bottles at a high price. Now it is cheap; the makers of kerosene 
produce so much more benzine than there is a demand for, that, at 
wholesale at least, it bears but a nominal price. Benzine, in careless 
hands, is a very dangerous article, and no one should use it without 
understanding its properties, that accidents may be guarded against. 
It boils at one hundred and forty ^F., and at all ordinary temperatures 
rapidly evaporates. When this vapor is mingled with the air, the 
two form a mixture which, in contact with a flame, will explode 
violently. The vapor of the benzine, when not mixed with air to form 
an explosive mixture, will readily take fire and burn rapidly. A bottle 
partly filled, in a warm room, will give off the vapor so freely, that it 
Avill take fire even when at a distance of several inches from a lamp. 
In working with benzine, always use it by daylight, and in a room 
without a fire, or so far from a fire that there can be no danger. 
These facts can not be too thoroughly impressed upon all who have 
occasion to use this liquid for any purpose. In using benzine and 
other solvents for removing grease or other spots from fabrics, a mere 
wetting often is given, and after the benzine has evaporated, the place 
looks worse than before. By applying a little benzine, the grease or 
other substance is dissolved, and this solution spreads to the surround- 
ing portions of the cloth, and the evil is increased. We must use the 
liquid in such a manner as to dissolve the grease, and then to carry 
away the solution — w'e must, in fact, wash out the spot with benzine. 
To do this, it is not necessary to immerse the article or a large portion 
of it. In removing a spot, first fold some old woolen cloths, or even 
porous newspapers, to form a thick pad. Place this pad under the 
article, and wet the spot with benzine. Use a sponge or a roll of 
v.-oolen cloth, and rub the spot, adding more benzine as it is taken up 
by the pad below. In this manner the benzine holding the grease, etc., 
in solution, is absorbed by the pad, and the solution is washed ou:j 



WIIA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 25 

of the cloth by successive quantities of benzine, to be also carried 
down into the pad. Success depends upon using sufficient benzine; 
it is cheap, and one need not be sparing of it. Gloves are cleaned 
by immersing them in benzine in a wide-mouthed glass-stoppered 
bottle. The gloves are shaken up with the liquid for a few minutes, 
taken out, squeezed, and hung under a chimney to dry. If any spots 
are left, these are rubbed with a rag wet with benzine. If the gloves 
retain any odor, they are placed on a plate, covered by another, and 
whole set upon a kettle of boiling water. The heat will soon drive 
off the odor. 

Billiousness — remedy for. — If the victim of this diseased condition 
will exercise due care they need not ransack creation for " anti-bilious 
pills." The bile does not belong in the stomach, but reaches there in 
consequence of improper food, too much of the oily, as butter, pork, 
lard, etc. The bile is nature's grand cathartic medicine, passing from 
the liver in a direction to indicate that it is to pass on into the bowels, 
there to perform its important mission. When the liver is overtaxed 
by too much labor, or by the presence of too much greasy food, diges- 
tion is impaired and the whole system becomes out of order. If one 
would avoid biliousness, let him fast, passing over one or more 
meals. As soon as the "mouth tastes bad," the tongue is coat- 
ed, the appetite flags — the best possible evidence that too much food 
has been taken — thus allowing nature to rally, the accumulated food 
to pass off, and the system be relieved. In nine cases out of ten, 
this fasting will remove the difficulty, save a fit of sickness, and cheat 
the doctor! Any quack nostrum that will do as much as fasting, would 
yield a fortune to the inventor. Many of them, however, if not most, 
increase disease, rather than improve health. 

Bird Lime. — Take any quantity of the middle bark of the holly. 
Boil it in water for several hours, until it becomes quite soft. Drain 
off the water, and place the holly bark in a hole in the earth, surround- 
ed with stones; here let it remain to ferment; and water it, if necessary, 
until it passes into a mucilagmous state. Then pound it well, and 
wash it in several waters. Drain it and leave it for four or five days 
to ferment and purify. 

Birds — to preserve. — Small birds may be preserved as follows: — 
Take out the entrails, open a passage to the brain, which should be 
scooped out through the mouth; introduce into the cavities of the 
skull and the whole body some of the mixture of salt, alum, and pep- 
per, putting some through the gullet and whole length of the neck; 
then hang the bird in a cool, airy place, first by the feet that the body 
may be impregnated by the salts, and afterwards by a tjiread through 
the under mandible of the bill, till it appears to be sweet then hang it 
in the sun, or near a fire; after it is well dried, clean out what remains 
loose of the mixture, and fill the cavity of the body with wool, oakum, 
or any soft substance, and pack it smooth in paper. 

Biscuit (Tea). — To one quart of sifted flour add two teaspoonfuls 
of baking powder and one teaspoonful of salt. Mix these together 



26 WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

and pass them through a sieve in order to thoroughly blend them. 
Now add sufficient sweet milk to make a batter, then heat your gem 
pans hot, and fill them half-full of the batter and bake in a hot oven. 
These are a delicious little biscuit, applicable to either breakfast or 
tea, and can be made and baked in ten or fifteen minutes. 

Biscuit (Milk). — To a quart of flour put one cup of buttermilk, or 
clabber, one heaping tablespoonful of salt; work up very slightly 
and set the dough in a warm place for four or five hours; then add a 
half teaspoonful of soda; knead smoothly, and bake in a moderate 
oven. 

Biscuit (Sour Milk). — Biscuits made with sour milk or cream of 
tartar should be handled as little as possible and put as soon as made 
into a hot oven. A warm oven makes soggy biscuit. The colder the 
milk or water used in making them, the lighter and more tender they 
will be. 

Bites and Stings — cure for. — Apply instantly with a soft rag, most 
freely, spirits of hartshorn. The venom of stings being an acid, the 
alkali nullifies them. Fresh wood ashes, moistened with water, and 
made into a poultice, frenquently renewed, is an excellent substitute, or 
soda or saleratus, all being alkalies. 

Bites (of snakes and dogs) — treatment. — i. Apply immediately 
strong hartshorn, and take it internally; also give sweet oil and stimu- 
lants freely; apply a ligature right above the part bitten, and then apply 
a cupping-glass. 

2. In case of a bite of a venomous serpent the old historic method of 
sucking the wound with the lips is one of the first things to be resorted 
to. If the poison is in the circulation the use of strong brandy or 
whisky, in quantites powerful enough to produce intoxication, must 
be resorted to. The bite of a mad dog should be cauterized at once 
by a pencil of lunar-caustic, or by application of irons heated white. 
The peculiarity of hydrophobic poison is that it remains in the spot 
where the bite occurs, for several days or weeks; and not until this 
poison ferments does it become dangerous. Dr. Hewett, a surgeon 
of London, allowed himself to be bitten no less then eighty times 
by rabid dogs, each time successfully cauterizing the wound. He fell 
a victim to his temerity, however, for one day he was found dead 
with a pistol-shot from his own hand. A statement was left in his 
papers that he had neglected the cauterization too long, and feeling the 
first symptoms of hydrophobia, he preferred to die without the long 
agony. 

3. Pliny affirms that the mustard plant is a sovereign remedy against 
the bite of most venomous serpents; it is only necessary to apply it to 
the wound. 

Bitters (Stomach). — Gentian root, six ounces; oi-ange peel, ten 
ounces; cinnamon, one ounce; anise seed, two ounces; coriander seed, 
two ounces, cardamon seed, one-half ounce; Peruvian bark unground, 
two ounces; bruise all the articles and add one ounce gum kino, put 
in two quarts alcohol and two quarts pure spirit, or good whisky may 



WHA T E VER V ONE S/IO ULD k'NO IV. 27 

be used instead of pure spirit; shake occasionally for tei\ days, and 
filter through three thicknesses of woolen; then one-half pint of this 
may be added to a gallon of whisky, more or less as desired. 

Bitters (Stoughton). — Three-fcurths of an ounce Peruvian bark, 
one ounce wild cherrybark, two ounces gentian root bruised, one 
ounce dried orange peel, one ounce cardamon seed bruised; keep in 
one gallon spirits two or three weeks. Cures dyspepsia, etc. 

Blackberry Tea. — The " blackberry tea " so much used in domes- 
tic practice in various parts of the country, is made not from the ber- 
ries, but from the root. The root is not only employed as a family 
remedy, but our most skilled physicians find that, in chronic cases, 
it is most useful, and agrees with the stomach when other medicfnes 
will not be retained. We have known obstinate cases of the "army 
diarrhoea "to yield to this simple remedy when other medicines had 
failed. Those who wish to avail themselves of the remedial proper- 
ties of the blackberry, should make use of the root. It does not ap- 
pear that there is any perceptible difference in the roots of the several 
species; those of the running and bush forms of the blackberry have 
the same properties. As one or more species is to be found in every 
part of the country, a useful and inexpensive remedy is everywhere at 
hand. The usual method of preparing it is to add an ounce of root 
to a pint and a half of water, and simmer slowly until reduced to a 
pint, and strain. A dose of this tea for an adult is a wineglassful; 
for a child, one to three teaspoonfuls. While it is preparing, bits of 
orange-peel may be added, to give a pleasant flavor. This tea was 
much used by the surgeons of both armies in the late war with great 
success, and it is now much employed by physicians. 

Blackberry Syrup. — Blackberry syrup may be prepared, to be 
kept at hand for use, in the following manner: Four ounces of black- 
berry root and one dram each of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, are 
gently simmered for an hour in a quart of water. The liquid is then 
strained oif, and two pounds of sugar added. When cold, add a 
wineglassful of brandy, and bottle for use. The dose for a child is a 
teaspoonful, and for an adult a tablespoonful. 

Blackberry Wine — to make. — Blackberry wine, the usual pro- 
cess for other fruit juices may be followed. To a gallon of the 
berries, well bruised, add a quart of boiling water. Allow these to 
stand for twenty-four hours, stirring occasionally. Then strain and 
press out the juice, and add two pounds of sugar to each gallon. 
Place the liquid in a jug to ferment. The jug must be kept full by 
adding from time to time some of the juice kept for the purpose. 
When fermentation ceases, cork the jug, and keep in a cool place 
three or four months, after which the wine may be bottled, carefully 
pouring it off from the sediment. Of course larger quantities may be 
made with the same proportions, in a cask. 

Blackberry Brandy. — Take ten gallons of brandy, and use five 
quarts nice rich blackberries, mashed; macerate the berries in the 
liquor for ten days, then strain off, and add one ounce sugar to each 



28 WHA T E VER Y ONE SHOULD KNO W. 

gallon. If strawberries are used, work the same proportions with 
only half the quantity of sugar. 

Blackbirds — food of. — The natural food of the blackbird is berries, 
worms, insects, shelled-snails, cherries and other similar fruit; audits 
artificial food, lean fresh meat, cut very small, and mixed with bread 
or German paste. 

Blacking — for harness. — Melt four ounces of mutton suet with 
twelve ounces of beeswax, add twelve ounces of sugar candy, four 
ounces of soft soap dissolved in water, and two ounces of indigo finely 
powdered. When melted and well mixed, add half a pint of turpen- 
tine. Lay it on the harness with a sponge, and polish off with a 
brush. 

Blacking — for boots and shoes. — Ivory black, two pounds; molas- 
ses, two pounds; sweet oil, one pound; rub together till well mixed, 
then add oil vitriol, three-quarters of a pound; add coarse sugar, one- 
half pound, and dilute wnth beer bottoms. This cannot be excelled. 
Blacking — for boots and shoes. — Ivory black, one and a half 
ounces; molasses, one and a half ounces; sperm oil, three drams; 
strong oil of vitriol, three drams; common vinegar, half a pint. Mix 
the ivory black, molasses and vinegar together, then mix the sperm 
oil and oil of vitriol separately, and add them to the other mixture. 

Blacking — for leather. — Fill a bottle half full of nails, or rusty bits 
of iron, then fill with sharp vinegar; shake every few days for awhile; 
in a few weeks it will be fit for use. It improves with age. When 
used down, fill up again with vinegar. W^hen boots become red, wet 
in the blacking and oil them. They will look as good as new. The 
oil sets the color, and it will neither rub or wash off. It is good for 
all kinds of leather, and wuU not injure it in the least. 

Black Walnut — to polish. — To give black walnut a fine polish, so 
as to resemble rich old wood, apply a coat of shellac varnish, and 
then rub it with a smooth piece of pumice-stone until dry. Another 
coat may be given, and the rubbing repeated. After this, a coat of 
polish, made of linseed oil, beeswax, and turpentine may be well 
rubbed in with a dauber, made of a piece of sponge tightly wrapped 
in a piece of fine flannel several times folded, and moistened with the 
polish. If this work is not fine enough, it may be smoothed with the 
finest sandpaper, and the rubbing repeated. In the course of time 
the walnut becomes very dark and rich in color, and in every way is 
superior to that which has been varnished. 

Black Clothes — to restore. — Boil three ounces of logwood in a 
quart of vinegar, and when the color is extracted, drop in a piece of 
carbonate of iron the size of a large chestnut. Let it boil five min- 
utes. Have the article to be dyed sponged with soap and hot water, 
laying them on the table and sponge them all over with it, taking 
care to keep them smooth, and brush downward. When completely 
wet with the dye, dissolve a tcaspoonful of salaratus in a teacup of 
warm water, and sponge over with this, which sets the color so noth- 
ing rubs off. They must not be wrung or wrinkled, but carefully 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO IV. 29 

hunj; -'P to drain. The brownest cloth may be made a perfect black 
in this simple manner. So many people have faded garments that 
this reciepe may be of service in restoring them to a lively color. 

Black — to color. — Allow four pounds of woolen material to one- 
half pound of copperas. Wring the goods very dry out of warm 
water, and put into the copperas that has been boiling in water an 
hour. Set aside until cool enough to wring, then wash thoroughly in 
clear cold water. Boil two pounds of logwood tied in a bag one hour. 
Allow the articles to remain in this till cool enough to wring, then put 
them in water that dry clover has been steeped in, for about half an 
hour to prevent smutting. Dry thoroughly and wash. 

Black Tongue — in cattle. — The symptoms are inflammation of 
the mouth, swelling of the head and face, discharge of bloody saliva, 
and high fever, marks the first stages. Ulcers soon appear under and 
on the sides of the tongue. Then the throat and neck swell, and if 
the disease is not checked gangrene ensues and the animal dies. The 
disease is said to yield readily to early and proper treatment. The 
following has proved very successful: The animal should be bled 
from the neck vein. Give him castor oil, one pint, to be repeated in 
ten hours if it should not operate. Then use the following: Powder- 
ed burnt alum, four ounces; chloride of lime, two ounces; corn meal, 
two quarts. Mix, and with this powder swab the mouth frequently. 

Blauc Mange. — Take a handful of Irish moss, wash thoroughly in 
several waters, add a few pieces of stick cinnamon, and tie up loosely 
in a piece of mosquito netting. Boil about fifteen minutes in one 
quart of milk; turn the milk into a mould or bowl previously wet with 
cold water; let it stand until cold. When ready for use, turn it out 
upon a dish. If boiled enough, it will keep its form. Eat with sugar 
and cream. 

Blankets — to cleanse. — Put two large teaspoonfuls of borax and a 
pint bowl of soft soap into a tub of cold water. When dissolved, put 
in a pair of blankets, and let them remain over night. Next day rub 
and drain them out, and rinse thoroughly in two waters, and hang 
them to dry. Do not wring them. 

Blankets — to clean.. — When soiled they should be washed, and not 
scoured. Shake the dust from them, plunge them into plenty of hot 
soapsuds, let them lie till the hands can be borne in the water, wash 
quickly, rinse in new clean hot suds, shake thoroughly, stretch well, 
dry, and they will be as nice as new. 

Blankets — to wash. — Take half a cake of soap, cut it into small 
pieces and dissolve it thoroughly in hot water. Pour this into enough 
cold v/ater to cover the blankets; add two ounces of borax (pulverized 
dissolves most readily), and put your blankets to soak all night. In 
the morning take them out and squeeze most of the water out of them 
and rinse thoroughly in cold water, in which a little borax has been 
dissolved; put them through a second rinsing water and then through 
the blueing water. Do not wring or squeeze them this time, but hang 
them up to drain and dry. The easiest way is to take them, while in 



30 IVHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNC W. 

the last v/ater, out under the clothes line, as it is not convenient to 
carry them when full of water. It is best not to double them over 
the line, but hang by one end or side. Of course you want a sunny 
day for drying them nicely, and if you put them to soak at night and 
the next day is stormy, it will not hurt them to soak longer. If the 
wool is very greasy, use more soap and borax. Fine flannels and 
baby's crocheted skirts and sacques ars nice when washed in this way, 
and if you use cold water they will not shrink. Vary the proportions 
of soap and borax to suit the quantity of water. I would not advise 
you to wash colored goods in this way, as they might fade. 

Blankets (white wool) — to "wash. — To wash wool blankets, we 
shoqjd make a suds from nice hard soap, and make it warm 
enough to be comfortable to the hands and proceed to rub 
them through two waters, using no soap except that which is dis- 
solved in the water. Rinse in water of the same temperature as 
that in which they were washed, shake out and dry smoothly, then 
fold and press by laying a weight upon them. If white blankets are 
washed in this way, they will not shrink, and will retain their Avhite- 
ness for many years. 

Blanket (Roman) — to knit. — Five stripes, three of black and two 
of Roman colors. Stripes are fifty stitches wide, and two hundred 
and seventy-five ribs long. Knit garter stitch. Take off the first and 
seam the last stitch in each row. Crochet strips together with four 
stitches black, four white; and four yellow. Material; Germantown 
wool sixfold, one and three-eighths pounds of black, one-fourth 
pound of cherry, one-fourth pound of blue, one-fourth pound pearl 
white, and two ounces of yellow, shade bordering on orange. For 
fringe, one thread of yellow with three of black for black stripes, P.o- 
man colors for Roman stripes. Arrangement of colors: One row of 
white, one row of blue, one row of cherry, one row of blue, one row 
of yellow, one row of cherry, one row of white, twelve rows of 
blue, one row of white, one row of cherry, one row of blue, one row 
of yellow, one row of white, ono row of cherry, one row of blue, ten 
rows of white, one row of blue, one row of white, one row of cherry, 
one row of blue, one row of yellow, one row of cherry, one row of 
white, sixteen rows of cherry. 

Bleeding — irom the nose. — From whatever cause, bleeding from 
the nose may gcierally be stopped by putting aplug^of lint into the 
nostrils; if this does not do, apply a cold lotion to the forehead; raise 
the head, and place both arms over the head , so that it will rest on both 
hands; dip the lint plug, slightly moistened, into some powdered gum- 
arabic, and plug the nostrils again; or dip the plug into equal parts of 
powdered gum-arabic and alum. An easier and simpler method is to 
place a Diece of writing paper on the gums of the upper jaw, under 
the upjlcr lip, and let it remain there for a few minutes. 

Bleeding — to stop. — If a man is wounded so that blood flows, that 
flow is either regular, or by jets or spurts. If it flows regularly, a 
vein has been wounded, and a string should be bound tightly around 



IVHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 31 

below the wounded part, that is, beyond it from the heart. If the 
blood comes out by leaps or jets, an artery has been severed, and the 
person may bleed to death in a few minutes; to prevent which apply 
the cord above the wound, that is, between the wound and the heart, 
in case a string orcofd is not at hand, tie the two opposite corners of 
a handkerchief around the limb, put a stick between and turn it round 
until the handkerchief is twisted sufficiently tight to stop the bleedmg, 
and keep it so until a physician can be had. 

Bleeding — of a wound. — The following simple remedies may be 
made use of; Soak some linen rags in strong vinegar, burn it and 
strew the ashes on the wound, or bruise the tops of stinging-nettles 
and place them over it, or apply a good dressing of the powder of ripe 
puff-balls. In certain cases it may be desirable to tie two or three 
tight ligatures near the lower part of each joint, and slacken them 
gradually. This will assist in stopping the flow of blood. 

Bleeding — to stop the flow. — i Take the fine dust of tea or the 
scrapings of the inside of tanned leather and bind it close upon the 
wound, and blood will soon cease to flow. These articles are at all 
times accessible and easy to be obtained. After the blood has ceased 
to flow laudanum may be advantageously applied to the wound. 

2. For bleeding, take linen or other rags, burn to charcoal and put 
it in the wound and no more blood will come. 

Blister — to dress. — Spread a little blister compound on a piece of 
common adhesive plaster with the right thumb. It should be put on 
just thickly enough to conceal the appearance of the plaster beneath. 
The part from which a blister has been taken should be covered over 
till it heals with soft linen rags smeared with lard. 

Blistered Hands or Feet. — When the hands are blistered from 
rowing, or the feet from walking or other causes, be careful not to 
allow the blisters to break, if possible. Some persons are in the 
babit, by means of a needle and piece of worsted, of placing a seton 
into blisters to draw off the water; but in our opinion this is a great 
mistake and retards the healing. Bathe the blisters frequently in 
warm water, or, if they are very severe, make a salve of tallow, drop- 
ped from a lighted candle into a little gin and worked up to a proper 
consistence, and on going to bed cover the blisters with this salve and 
place a piece of clean soft rag over them. 

Blood Blister — to treat. — When a finger is bruised so as to 
cause a blood-blister under the nail, it should immediately be drilled 
with a knife 01 other sharp-pointed instrument, and the blood allowed 
to escape. This affords instant relief to an injury which may other- 
wise become exceedingly painful. 

Blood Purifier. — Mix half an ounce sulphate of magnesia with 
one pint water. Dose, a wineglassful three times a day. This can 
be used in the place of iron tonic, or in connection with it. 

Blueing — for clothes. — Take one ounce of soft Prussian blue, 
powder it and put it in a bottle with one quart of clear rain water, 



32 WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO IV. 

and add one-half ounce of pulverized oxalic acid. A tablespoonful 
is sufficient for a large washing. 

Boils — treatment of. — These should be brought to a head by- 
warm poultices of camomile flowers; or boiled white lily root, or 
onion root by fermentation with hot water, or by stimulating plasters. 
When ripe they should be destroyed by a needle or lancet; but this 
should not be attempted until they are fully proved. 

Boiled Flour — useful in cases of very relaxed bowels. — Tie up 
half a pound or a pound of flour in a cloth quite tight, boil it for 
twelve hours, then let it cool out of the water. When cool reduce it 
to powder, and give a teaspoonful at a time as a dose. It may be 
taken dry or moistened with a little milk or weak brandy and water. 

Boots (Rubber) — to mend. — Procure some pure gum, which can 
be bought at any wholesale rubber house, or you can have your drug- 
gist order it for you at a cost of about five cents per ounce. At the 
same time order patching, and it is well to have two thicknesses for 
mending different goods. Put an ounce or two of gum into three or 
four times its bulk of benzine, cork tightly and allow it to stand four 
or five days, when it will be dissolved. Wet the boots with benzine 
for an inch or more around the hole and scrape Avith a knife. Repeat 
this wetting with benzine and scraping several times until thoroughly 
cleaned, and a new surface exposed. Wet the cloth side of the patch- 
ing with benzine and give one light scraping, then apply with a 
knife a good coating of the dissolved rubber, both to the boot and 
patch, and allow it to dry until it will not stick to your fingers, then 
apply the two surfaces and press or lightly hammer into as perfect 
compact as possible, and set away for a day or two, if possible, be- 
fore using. 

Boots (Wet) — treatment of. — When boots are wet through, do 
not dry them, by the fire. As soon as they are taken off, fill them 
quite full with dry oats. This grain will rapidly absorb every vestige 
of damp from the wet leather. As it takes up the moisture it swells 
and fills the boot like a tightly fitting last, keeping its form good, 
and drying the leather without hardening it. In the morning shake 
out the oats and hang them in a bag near the fire to dry, ready for 
use on another occasion. 

Boot and Shoe Preservative. — It is said two parts tallow and one 
of resin, melted together and applied to the soles of new boots or 
shoes, as much as the leather will absorb, will double their wear. 

Borax — substitute for. — Alum two ounces, dilute with water and 
mix with two ounces potash, boil in pot half an hour over a gentle 
fire, take it out of the water, add two ounces gem salt in powder, as 
much of alkaline salt, three pounds honey, and one of cow's milk, 
mix all together, set it in the sun for three days, and the borax is 
ready for use. This \\'\\\ go twice as far in a blacksmith's shop as 
common borax. 

Borax — uses of. — It may be interesting to some to knov/ that a 
weak solution of borax-water snuffed up the nostrils, causing it to 



WIIA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 33 

pass through the nasal passage to the throat, then ejecting it from 
the mouth, will greatly relieve catarrh, and in cases not too obstinate 
or long standing, will, if persevered in, effect a permanent cure. It 
is also of great value in case of inflamed or weak eyes. Make a solu- 
tion (not too strong), and bathe the eye by opening and shutting it 
two or three times in the water. This can be done by means of an 
eye-cup, or equally well by holding a handful of the water to the eye. 
Another difficulty, with which many persons are afflicted, is an irrita- 
tion or inflammation of the membrane lining the cavities of the nose, 
which becomes aggravated by the slightest coid, often causing great 
pain. This can be greatly relieved, if not entirely cured, by snuffing 
borax-water up the nostrils two or three times a day. The most diffi- 
cult cases of sore throat may be cured by using it simply as a gargle. 
As a wash for the head it not only leaves the scalp very white and 
clean, but renders the hair soft and glossy. It has also been found 
by many to be of invaluable service in case of nervous headache. If 
applied in the same manner as in washing the hair; the result is won- 
derful. It may be used quite strong, after which rinse the hair care- 
fully with clear water; let the person thus suffering remain in a quiet, 
well-ventilated room, until the hair is nearly or quite dry, and if pos- 
sible, indulge in a short sleep, and there will hardly remain a trace 
of the headache. If clergymen, teachers, and others, who have an 
undue amount of brain work for the kind and quality of physical ex- 
ercise usually taken, would shampoo the head in this manner about 
once a week, and then undertake no more brain work until the follow- 
ing morning, they would be surprised to find how clear and strong 
the faculties had become, and there is reason to hope there would be 
much less premature decay of the mental faculties. As a toilet 
requisite it is quite indispensible. If used to rinse the mouth each 
time after cleaning the teeth it will prevent the gums from becoming 
diseased or uncleanly. In short, in all cases of allaying inflammation 
there is probably nothing better in materia medica. The average 
strength of the solution should be a small teaspoonful to a toilet-glass 
of water. 

Bots in Horses — cure for. — Give the horse, first, two quarts of new 
milk and one quart molasses; fifteen minutes afterwards give two 
quarts very strong sage tea; thirty minutes after the tea, give three*' 
pints (or enough to operate as physic), of curriers' oil. The molasses 
and milk cause the bots to let go their hold, the tea puckers them up, 
and the oil carries them completely away. Cure, certain, in the 
worst cases. 

Bouilli (French). — The most common disht hroughout France is a 
piece of plainly boiled fresh beef, from which the soup has been 
partly made, and which is separately served up as bouilli, accom- 
panied by strong gravy and minced vegetables or stewed cabbage. 
Now this, as dressed in the French mode, is ever delicate, both in 
fibre and flavor; while, in the usual manner of boiling it, it is almost 
always hard and insipid. The reason, says that celebrated cook 



34 WHAT EVERY OXE SHOULD KNOIV. 

Careme, is this: " The meat is put in the pot with the usual quantity 
of cold water, and placed at the corner of the fireplace, where, slowly 
becoming hot, the heat gradually swells the muscular fibres of the 
beef, dissolving the gelatinous substance therein contained, and dis- 
engaging that portion which chemists term " osraazone," and v.-hich 
imparts savor to the flesh — thus both rendering the meat tender and 
palatable, and the broth relishing and nutritive; while, on the con- 
trary, if the pot be inconsiderately put upon too quick a fire, the boil- 
ing is precipitated, the fibre coagulates and hardens, the osmazone 
is hindered from disengaging itself, and thus nothing is obtained but 
a piece of tough meat, and a broth without taste or succulence." 

Borers — to protect trees from.^An Ohio farmer washes his apple 
trees every spring and fall with a strong lye that will float an (^gg, 
and finds it to be sure death to the borers. He claims that he has not 
lost a tree since beginning this practice, although he had lost several 
previously. 

Box Measures. — Farmers and market gardeners will find a series 
of box measures very useful- and they can be readily made by any 
one who understands the two-foot rule, and can handle the saw and 
the hammer. A box sixteen by sixteen and one-eighth inches square 
and eight inches deep, will contain a bushel, or 2150.4 cubic inches, 
each inch in depth holding one gallon. 

A box twenty-four by eleven and one-fifth inches square and eight 
inches deep will also contain a bushel, or 2150.4 cubic inches, each 
inch in depth holding one gallon. 

A box twelve by eleven and one-fifth inches square and eight inches 
deep will contain half a bushel, or 1075.2 cubic inches, each inch in 
depth holding half a gallon. 

A box eight by eight and one-fourth inches square and eight inches 
deep will contain half a peck, or 298.8 cubic inches. The gallon dry 
measure. 

A box four by four inches square and four and one-fifth inches deep 
will contain one quart, or 67.2 cubic inches. 

Brains — to cook, — To a cultivated appetite these are among the 
choicest parts of any animal. Brains should be soaked in v/ater to 
remove all the blood from them; then they may be fried in butter till 
well done, A nice way of preparing them is to boil them in milk for 
r.bout twenty minutes, pour off the milk and pour over them vinegar. 
Cooked in this way they are as nice as pickled oysters, from which 
liiey can scarcely be told. 

Brain Stimulant. — The best possible thing for a man to do when 
ho leels too weak to carry anything through, is to go to bed and sleep 
as long as he can. This is tlie only recuperation of brain power, the 
only actual recuperation of brain force;. because during sleep the brain 
is in a state of rest, in a condition to receive and appropriate particles 
of nutriment from the blood, which take the place of those which have 
been consumed by previous labor, since the very act of thinking burns 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHOULD KNO W. 35 

up solid particles, as every turn of the wheel or screw of the steamer 
is the result of consumption by fire of the fuel in the furnace. 

Brain — enlargement of. — This chiefly effects children, and consists 
in ;in unnatural growth of the brain. The skull may grow v/ith it, 
and there be no symtoms of disease, though children witli this large 
brain are apt to die of some brain disease. The symptoms of enlarge- 
ment of the brain are, dullness of intellect, indifference to external 
objects, irritable temper, inordinate appetite, giddiness, and habitual 
headache. Sometimes there are convulsions, epileptic fits, and idiocy. 
There is also a pecular projection of the parietal bones in this disease. 

Treatment. — As much as possible, repress all exercise of the mind. 
Do not suffer the child to go to school; but put it to the most active 
and muscular exercise in the open air. The moment there is any heat 
in the top of the head, apply cold water, ice, or cold evaporating 
lotions. The diet should be very simple, bread and milk only, if, as 
the child grows up, the signs of the disease increase. 

Brandy (Cherry) — to make. — Good whisky, ten gallons; wild black 
cherries, five quarts, well bruised with stones broken; common al- 
monds shelled, one pound; white sugar, cinnamon, cloves and nut- 
meg, well bruised, of each one-half ounce. Mix and Let stand twelve 
days, and draw off. This, with the addition of two gallons brandy, 
makes the m.ost superior cherrv brandy. 

Brandy (Cognac). — To every ten gallons of pure spirits add two 
quarts New England rum, or one quart Jamaica rum, and from 
thirty to forty drops oil cognac, cut in one-half pint alcohol, and color 
with burnt sugar to suit. 

Brass or Silver — to clean. — To clean brass and silver, and polish 
the same, use aqua ammonia and rotten-stone, followed by rouge, 
applied with soft leather. 

Brass or Copper — several ways to clean and polish. — i. First 
remove all the stains, by rubbing the brass with a flannel dipped in 
vinegar; then polish with a leather and dry rotton-stone. 

2. Rub the surface of the metal with rotton-stone and sweet oil, 
then rub off with a piece of cotton flannel, and polish with a piece of 
soft leather. A solution of oxalic acid rubbed over brass soon re- 
moves the tarnish, rendering the metal bright. The acid must be 
washed off Vv'ith water, and the brass rubbed v.'ith whiting and soft 
leather. A mixture of muriatic acid and alum dissolved in water im- 
parts a golden color to brass articles that are steeped in it for a few 
seconds. 

3. Brass ornaments should be first washed with a strong lye made 
of rock alum, in the proportion of one ounce of alum to a pint of 
water. When dry, rub Vv'ith leather and fine tripoli. This will give 
to brass the brilliancy of gold. 

4. Copper utensils or brass articles may be as thoroughly cleaned 
and look as bright by washing them with a solution of salt and vine- 
gar as by using oxalic acid, and the advantage of running no risk of 
poisoning eiiher children or careless persons. Use as much salt as 



36 IVIIA T E VER Y ONE SHOULD K'XO \V. 

the vinegar will disolve, and apply with a woolen rag, rubbing vigor- 
ously, then polish with pulverized chalk, and the article will look like 
new, with little labor, as the acid of the vinegar is very efficient in 
removing all stains from either copper or brass. 

5. The quickest and easiest way to brighten copper or brass, is to 
wet a cloth in a t.trong solution of oxalic acid, and rub till it is clear, 
then dip a dry llannel into tripoli or prepared chalk, and rub it well. 

6. A good paste for cleaning brass may be made by mixing one 
part oxalic acid and six parts rotten-stone, with equal parts of train 
oil and spirits of turpentine, making a thick paste of the whole. 

7. Clean brass with a solution made by dissolving one tablespoon- 
ful oxalic acid and two tablespoonfuls tripoli in a half pint of soft 
water. Apply with a woolen rag, and after a few minutes wipe dry 
and polish. 

8. Wash with warm water to remove grease, then rub with a mix- 
ture of rotten stone, soft soap, and oil of turpentine, mixed to the 
consistence of stitf putty. The stone should be powdered very fine 
and sifted; and a quantity of the mixture may be made sufficient to 
last for a long time. A little of the above mixture should be mixed 
with water, rubbed over the metal, then rubbed briskly with a dry 
clean rag or leather, and a beautiful polish will be obtained. 

Bread — to make. — My yeast is made of a pint of pared, boiled and 
mashed potatoes; put a half pint of tlcuir in with them, then pour on 
about a pint of the water in which they were boiled, stir this together 
and then add a pint of warm water, if the weather is cold, and one 
pint of yeast. Keep it in a warm place to rise; take one pint of this 
with flour enough to make a sponge, or rising, as some people call it; 
it will rise in about two hours, and this much will make up six pints 
of Hour; make it up tolerably stitf, knead it well, and you will have 
good bread if it is baked properly 

Bread (^Graham). — Prepare a sponge as for white bread; put into 
your baking-pan the next morning a proportionate quantity of flour, 
two-thirds Graham and one-third white, to every quart of which you 
will allow a large handful of Indian meal and a teaspoonful of salt. 
Make a hole in the center of this and pour in your sponge, with two 
tablespoonfuls of molasses for each medium sized loaf. The dough 
must be very sofv. It will take a longer time to rise than white bread; 
when light knead again, make into loaves, and set in a warm place 
for a second rising. Bake steadily in a moderate oven for a muck 
lotiger time than you would allow for wheat bread. Rapid baking 
will spoil it. In this you must acquire judgment by experience. The 
most essential point in the making of the dough is to keep it very soft. 

Bread (fried). — A good way to use the yolks of eggs when you 
have them left after making cake with the whites, is to keep them in 
a cool place; in the morning beat them well, and dip slices of bread 
in them and fry brown. Stale bread may be used for this. 

Bread — to make. — Perplexed housekeepers will find no trouble 
with the bread sponge not rising during the night, by using the fol- 



JVHA T E VER V ONE SIIO ULD KNO W. 37 

lowing method: At breakfast time, mix two tablespoonfuls of flour, 
one of sugar, and one of salt, and scald with one pint of boiling 
water; when cool, add a yeast cake, or its ec|uivalent in yeast, and 
set to rise until noon. When putting on the dinner potatoes, add 
about ten extra ones, and, when boiled and peeled, mash them fine, 
and scald with three quarts of water. When cool, add to the first 
mi.xture, and set to rise until night. It is then ready for use, and 
should be kept in a crock, not too tightly closed, in a comparatively 
warm place. This will make six loaves of bread, and leave enough 
to raise the next mixture. In making the bread, use a pint of the 
mixture to each loaf, sifting in the requisite amount of flour, and 
kneading to taste, no other ingredients being necessary. Mold at 
once, and place in the baking-pan. Set to rise near the stove, or 
over a kettle of warm water if in great haste, and it will be ready to 
bake in three or four hours. 

Bread (Boston brown). — Two quarts of unbolted rye meal well 
mixed with one quart of yellow corn meal, one teaspoonful salt, one 
large teaspoonful of soda, dissolved in one cupful of molasses. Work 
up with cold water, with the hands, to a very stiff loaf, put in a but- 
tered pan, smooth over the top with the back of a spoon, wet; steam 
at least four hours, and then dry off for twenty minutes, in the oven. 
This is always good, and is the genuine article. The steaming is the 
best part of it, for the longer corn and rye meals are cooked, without 
drying, the better they are. 

Bread (brown). — Four cups of corn meal, three of rye, one of mo- 
lasses, one large teaspoonful of soda dissolved in warm water. Mix 
very thin, steam three houis, and bake half an hour. Try it. 

Bread (brown) — steamed. — I^'our cups corn meal, two cups flour, 
one cup molasses, two cups sour milk, two and one-half or three cups 
of sweet milk or water, (some meal requires more wetting), one tea- 
spoonful soda, one and one-half teaspoonful salt; steam three and 
one-half or four hours. 

Bread (rye). — Set a sponge over niglit, with one cupful yeiist, six 
potatoes boiled and mashed fine, with three cupfuls wheat flour, one 
pint warm water, two tablespoonfuls lard, two tablespoonfuls brown 
sugar, beat up well and set it aside to rise; in the morning mix with 
one quart warm milk, one teaspoonful salt, one cupful Indian meal, 
and enough rye flour to make it into a pliable dough, knead well, and 
let it rise from five to six hours, then work over again; divide into 
loaves, putting these into well greased deep pans; this second rising 
should last an hour; if your ovens are in good condition, one hour 
should bake the above quantity of bread. 

Bread (Scotch short). — One pound flour, one-half pound butter, 
six ounces sugar, cream butter and sugar together, and add the 
flour; roll one-half inch thick, bake slowly, don't bake brown. 

Bread (salt rising.) — Into a pint of fresh milk pour a pint of scald- 
ing water. Stir in smoothly, flour enough to make it a thick batter, 
keep at a uniform temperature for about six hours, when it will raise 



38 IVHA r EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

and should be at once used. Sift into a bowl three quarts of flour, 
pour in the yeast, add warm milk or water to wet up all the flour, salt 
to taste, knead lightly, put into pans, let it rise and then bake Great 
care is needed at every stage in making this bread; the yeast should be 
used iust when it passes from the saccharine to the vinous fermenta- 
tion, and before it gets the least bit sour. Just at the same point the 
raised dough must be put into the oven. The dough should be as soft 
when put into the pans as it can be conveniently handled. Some 
kinds of flour will not make good salt-rising bread. The dish in which 
the yeast is stirred must be perfectly sweet or it will sour before it 
rises. There is no sweeter or more wholesome bread than this when 
it is skillfully nxade. 

Bread — to keep moist. — Have the dough stiff when it is set for 
the last rising. The larger the proportion of flour to that of moisture 
in the dough the longer it will keep moist. After the bread is baked 
and cold, put it in a tin box or an earthen jar with close cover, and 
keep it covered tightly. Bread thus made, and kept cool, and always 
from the air, will last and be moist for a week. 

Bread (stale) — to freshen. — In order to freshen stale bread pursue 
the following plan; Dip the loaf wrapped in a clean cloth into boil- 
ing Avater; let it remain there for half a minute, then take off the cloth, 
and bake the loaf for ten minutes in a slow oven. 

Bread Crumbs — to utilize. — The waste of bits of bread in some 
families is unpardonable. Every fragment of clean bread, if no bigger 
than a pea, should be saved and used. If attention be given to this, 
the quantity of crumbs that would otherwise be wasted, will astonish 
one who tries it. Do not allow the crumbs to mould; place them on 
a plate in the stove oven with the door open, until they are quite dry. 
Then roll the crumbs, until they are as fine as meal, and keep in a 
carefully closed vessel; a fruit can is excellent. Crumbs prepared in 
this wav, are useful to bread chops or cutlets, oysters for broiling, 
egg-plant for frying; they make the most perfect of bread puddings, 
and are unequaled for stuffings. 

Breakfast Dish. — A good breakfast dish can be prepared from the 
remains of yesterday's dinner, providing that consisted in part of roast 
mutton. Chop it fine and put it in a saucepan with a cup of of gravy 
or of soup stock; season with pepper and salt, and scatter over it, 
stirring all the time a tablespconful of flour; let the meat heat gradual- 
ly and, w^hen " boiling hot," set the pan on the back part of the stove, 
and poach some eggs to serve with the meat, when the eggs are done 
put the meat on a platter, and lay the eggs around the edge. With 
fried potatoes, muflins, and good coffee, a wholesome breakfast may 
be provided at small expense. 

Breakfast Hints. — The housekeeper should study variety in the 
breakfasts she offers her family, not only from day to day, but chang- 
ing them as much as possible with the seasons. The things which 
are the most suggestive of comfort on a cold winter's morning are by 
no means tempting in July, when we need not only lighter clothing, 



WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 39 

but lighter food. Too often the meal loses all character in a con- 
tinual round of steak or chops, the year through, and dainty dishes 
which are really less expensive are ignored. Cold meats and chicken 
can easily be made into croquettes, or minced and Avell seasoned and 
served on slices of water toast. Eggs can be cooked in such a variety 
of ways that one need never tire of them, and the same may be said 
of potatoes. In their season, tomatoes sliced and served with Mayon- 
aise dressing, or a simple dressing of oil and vinegar, are very nice 
for breakfast. There is no more wholesome or tempting addition to 
the morning meal than fruit served as a first course. Gat meal por- 
ridge, too, is so healthful an article of food that it should be used 
universally. If it is necessary in order to economize time in the morn- 
ing to set the breakfast table the night before, it should be covered 
with an old linen tablecloth, or something of the kind kept for the 
purpose. The tea or coffee service should be placed in a line at one 
end of the table before the hostess; it is no longer customary to stand 
them on a tray. Mats, which are prettiest if they are pure and white, 
are put at the opposite end of the table for one or more substantial 
dishes, and at the sides for vegetables. A table set in this way looks 
much ijetter than when the host and hostess set opposite each other 
at the sides of the table, as in that case all the larger dishes are 
crowded in the center. A fork should be placed at the left of each 
plate and a knife and spoon at the right. The tablespoons and pep- 
per and salt stands are arranged at the corners of the table. If fruit 
which requires handling is to form the first course, as oranges or 
peaches, a plate upon which is a doily, finger bowl, fork and fruit 
knife, may be set at each place. After the fruit has been removed 
the more substantial part of the breakfast is brought on. The pot in 
which the coffee is made should be of a kind which is presentable at 
table, as the coffee is not so good if it is poured off the grounds into an 
urn. If it is not possible to have cream for it, boiled milk with a 
spoonful of condensed milk in each cup to make it richer is the best 
substitute. Cakes to be eaten wuth syrup should be served at the last 
of the meal, and the plates and knives and forks changed for them. 
It is well to have all plates which will be needed ready for use on the 
buffet, except in winter, when they may be consigned to the plate- 
warmer. 

Brewis. — There is an old-fashioned dish made of brown bread 
crusts and pieces called brewis, which is very nice. Put the slices 
of bread, the crusts and broken pieces into a hot oven until they are 
well browned, then break them and put into a sauce pan with 
enough boiling milk well seasoned with salt and butter to cover the 
bread. Simmer slowly for an hour or two, adding milk as it boils 
away or is absorbed by the bread. Serve hot, and you will have a 
wholesome and palatable dish. 

Britannia Metal — to clean. — i. Rub the article with a piece of 
flannel moistened with sweet oil; then apply a little pounded rotten- 
stone or polishing paste with the finger till the polish is produced, 



40 WJ/A T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

then wash the article with soap and hot water, and when dry, rub 
with soft wash leather, and a little fine whiting. 

2, To clean britannia metal, use finely powdered whiting, two 
tablespoonfuls of sweet oil and a little 5'ellow soap. INIix with spirits 
of wine to a cream. Rub on with a sponge, wipe off with a soft 
cloth and polish with a chamois skin. 

Broadcloth — to remove stains from. — Take one ounce of pipe- 
clay that has been ground fine, and mix it with twelve drops of alco- 
hol, and the same quantity of spirts of turpentine. Moisten a little 
of this mixture with alcohol, and rub it on the spots. Let it remain 
till dry, then rub it oft' with a woolen cloth, and the spots will disap- 
per. 

Bronchitis and Asthma Specific. — An unfailing source of relief 
from the agonies 01 bronchitis and spasmodic asthma will be found in 
the following specific; The juice qf two lemons, which have been 
warmed in the oven to dry the skins, four ounces of the best honey, 
two spoonfuls of the very finest Florence oil. Mix carefully, put in 
an earthen jar, which keep covered, and swallow a spoonful when 
you feel the fit coming on. 

Bronze for Brass. — Take one ounce of muriate of ammonia, half 
an ounce of alum, and a quarter of an ounce of arsenic, dissolved in 
a pint of strong vinegar. This will make a good bronze for brass 
work. 

Brooms — care of. — A large picture ring screwed into the top of 
the handle, is the nicest thing made by which to hangup a broom. A 
strong screw, with a small head, should be placed in the wall at a 
proper height to receive it. 

Brooms — to toughen. — If brooms are wet in boiling suds once a 
week they will become very tough, Avill not cut a carpet, will last 
much longer, and always sweep like a new broom. 

Bronchocele — to cure. — Iodide of potasium (often called hydrio- 
date of potash), two drams; iodine, one dram; water, two and a half 
ounces; mix and shake a few minutes, and pour a little intp a phial for 
internal use. Dose, five to ten drops before each meal, to be taken 
in a little w^ater. External application: With a feather, wet the en- 
larged neck, from the other bottle, night and morning, until well. It 
will cause the scarf skin to peel off several times before the cure is 
perfect, leaving it tender; but do not omit the application more than 
one day at most, and you may rest assured of a cure, if a cure can be 
performed by any means whatever. 

Bugs — to drive from vines. — Ashes moistened with kerosene are 
recommended for keeping striped bugs from cucumbers, melon and 
squash vines. 

Bulbs — to hasten the blooming of. — Dissolve twelve ounces of 
nitrate of potash, four ounces of common salt, three ounces of pearl- 
ash, five ounces of moist sugar in one quart of rainwater, and put 
a desert-spoonful of this liquid into the flower-glass, which should be 
filled with soft water so as not quite to touch the bulb. Change the 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 41 

water, and add some more of the liquid every nine days. In chang- 
i ig the water no not remove the bulb, but merely tilt the glass on one 
side. 

Bulbs — manure for. — An ounce of nitrate of soda dissolved in four 
gallons of water is a quick and good stimulant for bulbs, to be ap- 
plied twice a week after the pots are filled with roots, and the flower 
cpikes are fairly visible. A large handful of soot, or about a pint, 
tied up in a piece of old canvas, and immersed in the same quantity 
of water for a day or two, will furnish a safe and excellent stimulant; 
also good and safe is a quarter of a pound of eow manure mixed in a 
large garden pot of water, and used as required. Any of these stim- 
ulants will do good, or the whole of them applied alternately will 
benefit bulbs that need more sustenance than the soil affords. 

Bunion Remedy. — Bunions may be checked in their early devel- 
opment by binding the joint with adhesive plaster, and keeping it on 
as long as any uneasiness is felt. The bandaging should be perfect, 
and it might be well to extend it round the foot. An inflamed bunion 
should be poulticed, and larger shoes be worn. Iodine, twelve grains; 
lard or spermaceti ointment, half an ounce, makes a capital ointment 
for bunions. It should be rubbed on gently twice or three times a 
day. 

Bunion Cure. — Bunions may be cured by applying iodine, freely, 
twice a day, with a feather. For cure of corns or chilblains the same 
is recommended. 

Burns and Scalds. — The following has been tested in the severest 
cases of burning and scalding from railway and steamboat accidents: 
Glycerine, five ounces; white of ^%Z' four ounces; tincture of arnica, 
three ounces; mix the glycerine and white of egg thoroughly in a 
mortar and gradually add the arnica. Apply freely on linen rags 
night and morning, previously washing with warm castile soap-suds. 
In urgent cases, if nothing better can he had, clap on a mud poultice, 
a favorite and very effectual remedy with schoolboys who are stung 
while making war on hornets' nests. 

Burns — general remedies for. — i. Some few years since I acci- 
denally found that a poultice of tea leaves, applied to small burns and 
scalds, afforded immediate relief, and I determined to give it a more 
extensive trial when opportunity should present, which soon occurred. 
It was in a case of a child fourteen months old. Upon examination I 
found the anterior portion of the body, arms and legs blistered and 
deeply burned from a kettle of hot water which the child had upset 
upon itself. The case, to say the least, v\ras unfavorable for the suc- 
cess of any remedy. I prepared a large poultice, softening the leaves 
with hot water, and, while yet quite warm, applied it upon cotton 
wool over the entire burned surface. Almost like magic the suffer- 
ing abated and, without the use of any other anodyne, the child soon 
fell into a quiet sleep. In a few hours I removed the application, 
and re-applied it where it v/as necessary. I found the parts dis- 
colored and apparently tanned. The acute sensibility and tenderness 



42 IV/-/A r E VER V ONE SHOULD KNO W. 

had nearly disappeared, and the little patient passed through the 
second and third stages under far more favorable circumstances 
(symptoms) than was at first anticipated, making a recovery in about 
two weeks. 

2. Gather some large, white lilies, take the white leaves or petals 
of the flower, and put them in a jar containing olive oil; close it, and 
keep it for use. It is better old, and it will keep for years. When 
wanted, take a leaf or two, according to the size of the burn, and put 
it, well covered with the oil, on the burn; renew, at first often, as the 
oil is soon absorbed; then at longer intervals till healed. 

3. A piece of vegetable charcoal laid on a burn at once sooths the 
pain, and if kept applied for an hour cures it completely. 

4. Sulphate of iron has been tried by M. Joel, in the children's hos- 
pital, Lousanne, France. In this case a child, four years of age, had 
been extensively burnt; suppuration was abundant, and so offensive, 
that tiiey ordered the child a tepid bath, containing a couple of pinches 
of sulphate of iron. This gave immediate relief to the pain, and be- 
ing repeated tv^rice a day — twenty minutes each bath — the suppuration 
decreased, lost its odor, and the child was soon convalescent. 

5. A deep or a superficial burn extending over a large surface, 
should be bathed with sweet oil, or equal parts of sweet oil and lime 
water or cream. A simple burn may be treated with cloths wrung 
out in warm soda water. Dry applications may be made, if more 
convenient, of flour powdered starch or fuller's-earth. In any case 
let the dressings remain until the burn heals, unless it is absolutely 
necessary to remove them. 

6. Bicarbonate of soda — which is simply the cooking soda found in 
every kitchen — is a new remedy for burns and scalds. The injured part 
should be moistened, dry powdered soda sprinkled on it, and the 
whole wrapped in a damp cloth. The relief is often instantaneous. 

7. For burns and scalds nothing is more soothing than the white 
of an ^g^. which may be poured over the wound. It is softer as a 
varnish for a bum than collodion, and being always at hand can be 
applied immediately. It is also more cooling than the sweet oil and 
cotton which was formerly supposed to be the surest application to 
allay the smarting pain. It is the contact with the air which gives 
the extreme discomfort experienced from the ordinary accident of, 
this kind, and anything which excludes the air and prevents inflam- 
mation is the thing to be applied. 

8. When cooking, you often burn your fingers or arms, and there 
is not time to turn to tie them up. Take a piece of hard soap, and 
dipping it in water, rub it over the spot. Continue to do this two or 
three times until the surface is thoroughly covered. It will be found 
to afford great relief. Or you may dip your burned hand in the soft- 
soap bucket and hold it there a few minutes, and you will experi 
ence the same relief 

9. The true physiological way of treating Durns or scalds is to at 



VFHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 43 

once e^xlude the air with cotton batting, flour, scraped potato, or any- 
thing that is handiest. 

Burning Oil — test for. — Heat water in a pot on the fire to one 
hundred and twenty degrees Fahrenheit. Take a tin and put in it a 
tablespoonful of the oil you wish to test, place the tin containing the 
oil in the hot water, let it cool down to one hundred and twelve de- 
grees Fahrenheit, when at this point, approach a light very cautiously 
toward the oil, and if it takes fire before the light touches it you will 
be safe in rejecting it. 

Business Information. — Demand notes are payable on presentation 
without grace, and bear legal interest, after a demand has been made, 
if not so written. The presentation or demand must be made at the 
place where the note is payable, if stated; if not stated, at the maker's 
place of business, within business hours; should he have no place of 
business, then at his residence. 

An endorser on a demand note is holden only for a limited time, 
variable in different states. 

If time or payment is not stated in a note, it is held payable on de- 
mand. 

A negotiable note must be made payable either to bearer, or be 
properly endorsed by the person to whose order it is made. If the 
endorser wishes to avoid responsibility, he can endorse "without re- 
course." 

A joint note is one signed by two or more persons, who each be- 
come liable for the whole amount. 

Three days' grace are allowed on all time notes., after the time for 
payment expires; if not then paid, the endorser, if any, should be le- 
gally notified, to be holden. 

Notes falling due Sunday, or on a legal holiday, must be paid the 
day previous. 

Notes dated Sunday are void. 

Notes given by minors are void. 

Altering a note in any manner by the holder makes it void. 

The maker of a note that is lost or stolen is not released from pay- 
ment ii the amount and consideration can be proven. 

Notes obtained by fraud, or given by an intoxicated person, cannot 
be collected. 

An endorser has a right of action against all whose names were 
previously on a note endorsed by him. 

Butter Jar — to cleanse. — Take clabber milk and beat it; then use 
the hot whey. There will be no need of soap, as the whey kills the 
grease. Afterward wash in water. 

Butter — how to make. — Be sure the pasture is of the best, and 
that it contains a variety of the sweetest grasses. Do not change 
from winter food to spring pasture too suddenly, and, particularly, 
do not turn out your cows too early to shift for themselves. 

Let the milking be done by quiet persons, whether male or female, 



44 ^^'I^A T E VER Y OXE SHO ULD KNO IK 

at regular times morning or evening, knowing always that the milk, 
ng is conducted as cleanly as it is quietly. 

Know that the utensils for holding the milk are of the best descrip- 
tion and always scrupulously clean. 

See that the milk is perfectly cooled to free it of animal odor. A 
thermometer is an absolute necessity in all well regulated dairies. 

Be sure the room for setting milk is cool, and so it may be dark- 
ened at will. Thorough ventilation is one of the golden rules in 
dairying. The temperature of the dair}'^ room should never be more 
than sixty degrees, nor less than forty degrees. 

Skim the milk as soon as the first indication of getting thick from 
lopper are shown. Turn the cream slowly into the jar, and stir 
thoroughly when more cream is added. Keep the receptacle for the 
cream cool, from fifty to sixty degrees, and cover with some fabrics 
that will keep out minute insects, and at the same time allow access 
of air. 

Churn when the cream is ripe, that is, when the cream is sour, 

every day in spring, and every day in summer. Do not allow the 

. cream in the churn to rise much above sixty degrees. Do not churn 

too fast. There is nothing gained by seeking to bring the butter in a 

few minutes. From twenty to thirty minutes is about right. 

Good grass will make nice colored butter. At such seasons, when 
the color of butter is pale, use coloring carefully. It is better that 
butter be rather light than a dark yellow. 

When the butter comes in granules, stop churning. Wash with 
cold water or cold brine; work only enough to bring it to a firm uni- 
form mass. Do not salt heavily; from three-quarters to one ounce 
of salt to a pound of butter is enough. 

Pack in tight, clean, sweet packages; fill to within a half inch of the 
top, cover with a clean cloth, and add brine to fill until sold. Keep 
it in the coolest place you have, and there is no reason why you 
should not get the top price for your butter. 

Butter — to color. — As a rule, it is absolutely essential in the winter 
to color butter in order to make it marketable, or at all attractive as 
an article of table use at home. There may be a possible exception 
to this rule, in cases where cows are fed largely upon yellow corn, 
pumpkins, carrots, etc., but this does not lessen the importance of th; 
rule. Of the various substances used in coloring butter, we think tha 
carrots (of the deep yellow variety) give the most natural color am 
most agreeable tlavor. Annatto, however, is principally used, and 
most satisfactory results. If carrots are used, take two large-sized 
ones, clean them thoroughly, and then with a knife scrape off the 
yellow exterior, leaving the white pith; soak the yellow part in boil- 
ing milk for ten or fifteen minutes. Strain boiling hot into the cream; 
tliis gives the cream the desired temperature, colors it nicely, and 
adds to the sweetness of the butter. 

Butter and Eggs — to preserve. — To three gallons of brine, strong 
cnougli to bear an egg, add a quarter of a pound of nice white sugar 



WHA r E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 45 

and one tablespoonful of saltpeter. Boil the brine and strain carefully. 
Make your butter in rolls and wrap each in a clean muslin, tying up 
with a string, pack in a jar, weight down, and pour on the brine. In 
this way butter will keep a year. Eggs I keep till I get three or four 
dozen, put them in a wire pail (such as I use for cooking potatoes), 
dip it in and out of boiling water three times, lay them on the table 
on a cloth for an hour or two, the pack in a box in bran. If there are 
any thin shelled ones they will crack when you dip them in the water; 
those i put aside for early use. 

Butter — without ice. — In families where the dairy is small, a good 
plan to have the butter cool and firm without ice is by the process of 
evaporation, as practiced in India and other warm countries. A cheap 
plan is to get a very large-sized, porous, earthen fiov/er-pot, with a 
large saucer. Half fill the saucer with water, set it in a trivet or light 
stand — such as is used for holding hot irons will do; upon this set your 
butter; over the whole invert the flower-pot, letting the top rim of it 
rest in and be covered by the water; then close the hole in the boltom 
of the flower-pot with a cork; then dash water over the flower-pot, 
and repeat the process several times a day, or whenever it looks dry. 
If set in a cool place, or where the wind can blow on it, it will readily 
evaporate the water from the pot, and the butter will be as firm and 
cool as if from an ice-house. , 

Butter — to cure. — Take two parts of fine salt, one part loaf sugar, 
one part saltpeter; mix completel)^ Use one ounce of this mixture to 
each pound of butter; work well. Bury your butter firkins in the 
earth in your cellar bottoms, tops nearly leveled with the ground, or 
store away in a very cool place, covering the butter with a clean cloth 
and a strong brine on top, and it will keep two years if desired. 

Butter — hard in hot weather. — A simple mode of keeping butter 
in warm weather is to invert a large crock of earthen, or a flower-pot 
if need be, (varying with the size of the vessel containing the butter,) 
over the dish or firkin in which the butter is held. The porousness of 
the earthenware will keep the butter cool, and all the more so if the 
pot be wrapped in a wet cloth, with a little water in the dish with the 
butter. Not the porosity of the earthenware, but the rapid absorption 
of heat by external evaporation causes the butter to become hard. 

Butter, Cream, Milk — to preserve. — Butter, cream, milk and 
flour are peculiarly liable to absorb effluvia, and should, therefore, 
never be kept in mouldy rooms, or placed where there are sour 
liquids, aromatic vegetables such as onions, cabbage, and turnips. 
or smoked fish or bacon, or, indeed, any kind of food or those of 
strong odor, lest they lose their flavor. But, alas, how much more 
essential is it, that the utmost care be used in the prohibition of bed- 
side food and drink in the nursery and the sickroom; a practice 
fraught with constant danger to the sick, and of spreading disease to 
the well. 

Buttermilk — uses of. — Buttermilk is good, especially in fever, as 



46 WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

an article of diet, A cup of fresh buttermilk every day is a cure for 
liver complaint. 

Butterscotch. — Take one pound of sugar, three-quarters of a pint 
of water, and set over a slow fire; when done, add one and a half 
tablespoonfuls of butter and lemon-juice to flavor. 

Butterfly — to take the impression of. — Having taken a butterfly, 
kill it without spoiling its wings, which contrive to spread out as regu- 
larly as possible in a flying position. Then with a small brush or 
pencil, take a piece of white paper, wash a part of it with gum-water 
a little thicker than ordinary, so that it may easily dry. Afterward, 
laying your butterfly on the paper, cut off the body close to the wings, 
and, throwing it away, lay the paper on a smooth board, with the 
fly upward; and laying another paper over that, put the whole prep- 
aration into a screw press and screw down very hard, letting it re- 
main under that pressure for half an hour. Afterward take off the 
wings of the butterfly, and you will find a perfect impression of them, 
with all their various colors marked distinctly, remaining on the pa- 
per. When this is done, draw between the wings of your impression 
the body of the butterfly, and color it after the insect itself. 

Bronchitis — treatment of. — Get from the' druggist's a little good 
wood creosote. Put two drops of it into a bottle holding a pint or 
so. Pour in a little more than half a pint of clear water, and shake 
it well; shake well always before using it. Take a mouthful of 
this, throw the head back, gurgle it some time in the throat, and 
then swallow it. Repeat this every two hours, more or less, so as 
to use up the liquid within twenty-four hours. For each subsequent 
twenty-four hours, use three drops of the creosote in three to four 
gills of water. This three drops a day may be continued as long 
as any bronchitis appears. Two to four days is usually enough, 
though it may be continued indefinifely without harm. 

Cabbage Grubs — to destroy. — White grubs at the root of cabbages 
may be destroyed as follows: Loosen the earth close to the root with 
a hoe, even so much as to disturb the plant a little. Make a solution 
of one quart of soft soap to twelve of soft water, and pour about the 
root in close contact with the plant. One-fourth of a pint of this so- 
lution to a plant two or three times during the season is sufficient. 
Weaker suds poured on the top would destroy the green worm. 

Cabbage — made digestible. — Cabbage is made digestible by first 
slicing, and then putting in boiling water, with a pinch of soda and 
some salt, and boiling just fifteen minutes. 

Cabbage — fertilizer for. — "I am convinced after several years' 
trial, that cabbage requires rich manure, and it pays when stable or 
barn-yard manure is rich in itself to add some such material as bone- 
dust or superphosphate to get more nitrogen aud phosphoric acid. 
Early kinds of cabbage, I also think, requires richer soil than later 
sorts. 

Cabbage (Red) — to pickle. — Strip off the outer leaves, wipe and 
slice a fine sound cabbage or two extremely thin, sprinkle plenty of 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 47 

salt over them, and let them drain in a sieve, or on a strainer for 
twelve hours or more; shake or press the moisture from them, put 
them into clean stone jars, and cover them well with cold vinegar, in 
which an ounce of black pepper to the quart has been boiled. Some 
people merely cover the vegetable with strong, unboiled vinegar, but 
this is not so well. 

Cabbage — to preserve. — Generally a cellar is a very poor place in 
which to Vv^inter cabbage. In most cases cellars are either too damp or 
too warm to secure just the conditions needed, and consequently the 
cabbages soon decay, or become flabby and wilted — thereby being 
very poor in flavor. Make a frame of boards, like a hot-bed frame, 
banking up earth on the outside, having it six feet wide and of any 
length necessary, and into this transplant the cabbages about the last 
of October, in our northern New England climate. Cover this v^rith 
boards, and over the whole pack straw or leaves, keeping it in place 
by means of strips of joice or stakes. Another method is to open a 
trench a foot deep and a foot wide, into which place the cabbage, heads 
downward, and cover the earth well over them. Over the earth heap 
leaves, litter or straw, and from both positions the cabbages may be 
removed during early winter as wanted for use, or they can be kept 
in either position until April or May, when they may be had for spring 
use. Cabbages thus kept will winter firm and solid, of good fla- 
vor, and when taken out will be in good condition for cooking, by 
first placing them in cold water for an hour or two before cooking. 

Cabbage — to pickle. — Cut the cabbage very fine, and for a six 
gallon jar take a pint cup nearly full of salt, the same amount of 
horseradish (cut up in small pieces) and two heaping tablespoonfuls 
of white mustard seed. Sprinkle a little salt in the bottom of the jar, 
then put in a layer of cabbage and with a potato masher pound the cab- 
bage down firmly. Then sprinkle on some salt, radish and mustard 
seed. Then put in another layer of cabbage and proceed as before. 
Be sure to give ever^layer of cabbage a good thorough pounding. 
When your jar is full put an inverted plate on the cabbage, and on 
that put a twenty pound weight. Let it stand until next morning, 
then drain off every bit of the brine that has formed (the amount of 
brine will supprise you), and pour over the cabbage cider vinegar, 
boiling hot. Right here, let me say, that it spoils vinegar to heat it 
in iron; use a porcelain kettle or a stone milk crock. Leave the plate 
on the cabbage to keep it from floating, for it must be kept under tl:c 
vinegar. Tie several thicknesses of cloth over the top of the jar, 
then cover closely and set away in a cool place. Some place in tlie 
cellar that is just above the freezing point is best for it. 

Cake Baking Hints. — When cakes are made without yeast or 
eggs, soda and powder being the substitutes, they require quick 
baking in a moderately hot oven, and should be drawn directly 
when they are done, or they get dry and tasteless. For a plain cake, 
made with one pound of flour, etc., the time to be allowed in baking 
would be from forty to fifty minutes, at the outside not more than an 



48 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO IV. 

hour. Yeast cakes take longer — say from ten to fifteen minutes — and 
will bear to be left in the oven rather over the time without much in- 
jury. Very rich cakes, in which butter and eggs predominate, take, 
of course, a much longer time to cook; pound cake taking from an 
hour and a half to two hour?, and bride cake three and a half. On 
no account should the oven be too hot when the cakes are put in — 
that is, not hot enough to brown at once; if so, in five minutes the 
whole outside will be burned, and the interior will stand little chance 
of being cooked. The old plan of feeling the handle of the oven 
door to test the heat is not successful; it is better to sprinkle a little 
flour inside, and shut the door for about three minutes; if at the end 
of that time it is of a rich, light brown, the cake may be put in, but if 
burned, the heat must first be lessened. In making cake in cold 
weather, heat the mixing bowl in hot water, and then beat the butter 
to a cream; add the sugar and then the eggs, which have been well 
beaten; add the other ingredients excepting the flour; add the flour 
last, sifting it over the mixture. In everything excepting pound 
cake beat the eggs whole; in pound cake beat the whites and yolks 
separately. Miss Parloa always uses pastry flour for cake. If any 
flavoring is to be added it should be put in when the butter and 
sugar are put together. The more stirring given the mixture the 
lighter it will be, as it will contain more air. Cake is apt to be tough 
if it is stirred much after the flour is added. 

Cake (Coffee). — Mix well together one cup sugar, one cup molasses, 
one cup butter, one cup of strong coffee as ready for the table, four 
well beaten eggs; stir into this five cups of flour, in whichateaspoon- 
ful of soda has been incorporated, and finally a cup of chopped 
raisins or English currants, aud bake in one or two pans in a hot 
oven. 

Cake (Chocolate). — Take eight eggs, one pound of sugar, half a 
pound of flour, the grated rind and juice of a lemon, and a quarter of 
a pound of butter. Beat the w^hites of the egg^to a stiff froth, cream 
the butter with half the sugar; when the yolks are beaten light, with 
the rest of the sugar, add the butter, then the stiff whites, and finally 
stir the flour in slowly; season, and bake in round, shallow tin, called 
jelly-cake pans. Now for the caramel. Half a pound of chocolate, 
one and a half pounds of sugar, quarter of a pound of butter, one 
teacupful of cream, or rich milk; boil ten or twelve minutes; add a 
teaspoonful of vanilla. When nearly cold, spread between layers of 
the cake, as you would jelly, sift powdered Avhite sugar over the top, 
and it is done. It surpasses fruit cake, equals cocoa-nut cake, and 
puts pound cake to the blush. 

Cake (Cocoa-nutj. — Take two cupfuls of sugar, four eggs, two 
tablespoonfuls of butter, half a cupful of svvcet milk, one teaspoonful 
of soda, two of cream tartar, and two cupfuls of flour. Beat yolks, 
sugar and butter to a cream; beat the whites of the eggs, and add the 
last thing before baking. Bake in five layers. Take one tablespoon- 
ful of corn starch, make as for starch by pouring on boiling water. 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SIIO ULD KNO PV. 49 

tintil it thickens; sweeten, flavor, spread between the layers when 
cold, and sprinkle on cocoa-nut; also spread over the top of the cake. 

Cake (Buffalo Cream). — One cup of sugar, one tablespoonful of 
butter, one egg, two-thirds cup of sweet milk, one and two-thirds of 
flour, and two teaspoonfuls of baking powder. 

Cream for Cake, — Half a pint of sweet milk, tv/o eggs, two table- 
spoonfuls of sugar, one teaspoonful of starch, two tablespoonfuls of 
flour and flavor to taste, Scald the milk, beat the eggs (yolks and 
whites separately), sugar, starch and flour together, boil until it 
forms a custard, and spread between the layers. 

Cake (Cup). — One cupful of butter, two of sugar, three and a half 
of flour, one of milk, five eggs — the whites of two being left out — one 
teaspoonful of cream of tartar, and one-half a teaspoonful of soda or 
one-half of baking powder. Beat the butter to a cream. Add the 
sugar, gradually, then the eggs, well beaten, the milk, next the flour, 
in which the soda and cream of tartar have been mixed. Bake in 
two sheets for thirty minutes in a moderate oven. The frosting is 
made of the white of one tg^, one teaspoonful of powdered sugar, 
one tablespoonful of lemon juice. Put the white of an egg in a bowl, 
add the sugar by degrees, beating with a spoon; When all has been 
added, stir in the lemon juice. If the egg is large use a full cup of 
sugar, and if small, a scant cupful. 

Cake (Cream). — Two eggs, two tablespoonfuls of water, two tea- 
spoonfuls of baking powder stirred in a cup of flour, stir two-thirds of 
a cup of sugar into the well beaten yolks and add water and flour, 
then whites beaten stiff, bake in two pie tins eight or ten minutes. 
This never fails, and is excellent for jelly cake. 

Cream. — One Qgg, one-half cup of sugar, small piece of butter, one- 
half pint of milk, when boiling add one tablespoonful of corn starch 
previously stirred in cold milk, stir till free from lumps. Be careful 
not to scorch. When cool, flavor and spread between the layers. 
Set in a damp, cool place. 

Cake (Sponge). — Beat two eggs in a coffee cup until light, and then 
fill the cup with sweet cream; add one cup of sugar, one-half tea- 
spoonful of soda, one of cream of tartar, and one and one-half cup 
of flour. Should sour cream be used, omit the cream of tartar. 

Cake (Corn Starch). — One cup of sugar, one and one-fourth of a 
cup of butter, beat to a cream, add two eggs, one-half cupful of corn 
starch, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, a half cupful of milk, one 
cupful of flour. 

Cake (Every Day). — One-half cup of butter beaten with one cup of 
(brown or white) sugar, add one cup of sour or buttermilk, one tea- 
spoonful of soda stirred in the milk, one teaspoonful of cassia and 
nutmeg, two cups of flour, and one large cup of raisins chopped and 
rolled in flour. Bake slowly. 

Cake — without eggs. — Two-thirds cup of sugar, one-third cup of 
butter, two-thirds cup of sweet milk two cups of flour, one teaspoon- 



50 U^HA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

ful of cream of tartar, and one-half teaspoonful of soda. Flavor to 
taste. This does very well when eggs are forty cents a dozen, and 
not to be found at that. 

Cake (Fig). — Three-quarters cup Of butter, two cups of sugar, one- 
half cup of milk, three cups of pastry flour, the whites of six eggs, 
one teaspoonful of baking powder, one of the essence of lemon. Mix 
in the usual way and bake in the sheets the same as for Washington 
pies. The filling is made of one cupful of stoned raisins chopped^ 
very fine, one pound of figs boiled half an hour and chopped with the 
raisins, one large cup of sugar, the juice of one lemon. This well 
mixed is to be spread between the sheets of cake. Before stoning 
the raisins, scald them, and they will stone much easier. If there is 
any water left after boiling the figs use it in chopping them. 

Cake (Fruit). — Two cups of brown sugar, two cups molasses, one 
and a half cups of butter, one cup of milk, one and a half cups of 
currants, half cup of citron, six cups flour, one tablespoonful of 
cloves, one tablespoonful of cinnamon, one nutmeg, one tablespoon- 
ful of brandy, half a teaspoonful of soda, five eggs. 

Cake (Hickory-nut). — One and a half cups of sugar, three eggs, 
one cup of raisins, one cup of hickory-nut meats, one teaspoonful of 
soda, two of cream tartar, and enough flour to make stiff batter. 

Cake (Imperial). — One pound of flour, one pound of butter, one 
pound of sugar, one pound of raisins, one pound of almonds, bleached, 
three quarters of a pound of citron, one glass of brandy, one table- 
spoonful of mace, eight eggs. 

Cake (Lemon-jelly). — Take one potato, boil and mash perfectly 
smooth, add to it two large spoonfuls of butter, one teacupful of 
sugar, the beaten yolks of eight eggs, flavor with lemon; line small 
patty pans with pastry, fill with a large spoonful of above mixture, 
and bake. 

Cake (Marble). — Light part. — Whites of three eggs, one-half cup 
of butter, one-half cup of sugar, one-half cup of milk, two cups of 
flour, one-half teaspoonful of soda, one teaspoonful of cream of 
tartar. 

Dark part. — Yolks of three eggs, one cup of molasses, one-half 
cup of butter, two cups of flour, one teaspoonful of soda, one-third 
cup of milk, and flavor with mixed spices, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg. 
Butter the tin and put in the pan alternate layers of light and dark 
parts, having the light part on top. 

Cake (Sponge). — Materials; four eggs, two even cups of sugar, 
three-fourths cup of hot water, one and three-fourth cups of flour, 
even measure, tAvo teaspoonfuls of baking powder, salt, flavor with 
lemon. Beat the eggs separately. To the yolks gradually add the 
sugar. Mix well. Then add hot water. Mix the baking powder 
with the flour and add part of the flour, then part of the well beaten 
whites and so on until all is used. Flavor. It will be thin but do not 
add any more flour, lor it is all right. Bake in a moderately quick 
oven. When just right this is equal to any dozen-egg sponge cake I 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO VV. 5 1 

ever eat. To please the children bake some of the sponge cake very 
thin, cut in shape like dominoes, frost and mark the line and dots 
with a camel's hair brush dipped in chocolate. Another notion is to 
v/rite their names on little frosted cakes with a brush dipped in the 
yolk of an ^^^. 

Cakes (Sugar). — One pint dry flour, one-half pint of butter, one- 

\ half of sugar, mix the flour and sugar, rub in the butter, add an egg 

beaten with enough milk to moisten the whole; roll thin and bake in 

a quick oven. This recipe is for those who have few eggs or none. 

Cakes (Scotch). — Scotch cakes are economical so far as eggs are 
concerned, and, if made with care, will melt in the mouths of chil- 
dren. To one pound of flour allow half a pound of butter, and a 
quarter of a pound of sugar; let the butter stand in a basin near the 
fire to soften, but not melt; when soft, rub it and the flour together; 
then knead in the sugar. Roll out in a sheet half an inch thick; cut 
out cakes about two inches square; bake until they are of light brown. 
Put them away in a stone jar, and they will in a day or two gather 
moisture enough to be soft. 

Cake (Spice). — One and one-half cup of sugar, two-thirds cup but- 
ter, one cup raisins seeded, two-thirds cup sweet milk, three cups 
flour, two eggs, one heaping teaspoonful cream tartar, one-half even 
spoonful soda, or two teaspoonfuls baking powder, cinnamon, nut- 
meg, and cloves to taste. 

Cakes (Tea.) — The following recipe for tea cakes is highly prized 
by New England housekeepers of "ye olden time: " One and a half 
pounds of sugar, half a pound of butter, one pound of flour, half a 
grated nutmeg, half a pint of milk, one teaspoonful saleratus. Rub 
the butter and sugar to a rich cream and work in a little of the flour 
and the nutmeg and beat it smooth. Dissolve the saleratus in the 
milk and strain it into the above. Add the rest of the flour and work 
to a dough stiff enough to roll out. If too thin, add flour; if too 
thick, use more milk. Roll half an inch thick, cut into round cakes, 
place them on buttered tins and bake in a very quick oven. 

Cakes (Rye Tea). — One pint of sweet milk, two eggs, a teaspoonful 
of light brown sugar, a ealtspoonful of salt, and two tablespoonfuls 
of baking powder. Add to these sufficient rye flour to form a batter 
about the consistence of ordinary griddle cake batter. Bake in but- 
tered gem-pans in a quick oven. 

Cakes (Rice.) — Cook the rice thoroughly in a farina kettle, and 
while still quite warm, mould it into round cakes flattened; this to 
be done the previous day or evening. In the morning dip them into 
beaten egg, and fry in hot lard or drippings, until of a delicate 
brown. They are very palatable to eat with meats, or with sugar and 
cream if thus preferred. The coating of ^g^ keeps them firm, pre- 
vents too much fat penetrating, and adds to their good taste and nu- 
tritiousness. 

Cake (Walnut). — One coffee cupful of sugar, one cupful and a half 
of flour, two cupfuls of raisins, one cupful of walnut meats, half a 



52 JV^A T E VER Y ONE SffO ULD KNO XV. 

cupful of butter, half a cupful sweet milk, three eggs, half a nutn\eg, 
half a teaspoonful of soda or two teaspoonfuls of baking powder; 
flavor with lemon or vanilla. 

Cake (Pork). — One pound of salt fat pork chopped very fine, pour 
over this, half a pint of boiling water, when nearly cold add one 
pound of chopped raisins, one-fourth pound of citron, two cups of 
sugar, one cup of molasses, one teaspoonful of soda, one nutmeg, two 
teaspoonfuls of cloves, two teaspoonfuls of cinnamon, flour to make 
quite stiff, bake slow. 

Caked Udder of Cow. — For swollen or caked udder or bag of a 
cow, wash and rub thoroughly with water as hot as you can bear 
your hand. Then rub with a dry cloth. Then apply hog's lard, or 
what is better, grate good yellow carrot fine and simmer it in the lard 
to an ointment and apply and rub as above. 

Calves — treatment of. — The calf is made or marred the first five 
months. The general practice through the country, after the calf is 
one or two months old, is to turn it out and let it fight the flies the 
whole season. The farmer is very busy. He may come in late at 
night and the calf is forgotten or stunted. Never turn your calf out 
the first year. Keep it in the stable, and you will find the animal 
growing satisfactory. Instead of a little yearling, you will have a big, 
fine two-year-old. 

Calves — to make drink. — Let the calf suck the cow two or three 
days, or until the milk is good. This is better for the cow, and gives 
the calf a good start, then in the morning with a strap or rope tie it 
up in some good place, it is now full fed and comfortable; then at 
night approach the calf quietly, with your pail of milk, back it into a 
corner, stand by its right side, get your fingers into its mouth, set 
your pail where you can reach it, and with your right hand pour some 
milk into the calf 's mouth, it will soon begin to suck your fingers. 
Continue to pour in milk until it will follow your fingers to the milk 
in the pail, now with a little care you can keep it from putting its 
nose to the bottom of the pail and blowing milk from its nostrils. 
Now you can, by degrees, work your fingers out of its mouth, but if 
you do so too soon it will probably take up its head and look for a 
teat, when you will have to give it your fingers and repeat the pro- 
cess. I have never failed of feeding a calf by this plan, and fre- 
quently have them drink the second feed without my fingers. 

Calico — to v^rash. — Infuse three gills of salt in four quarts of water. 
Put in the calico while the solution is hot, and leave until the latter is 
cold. It is said that in this way the colors are rendered permanent 
and will not fade by subsequent washing. 

Callas — treatment of. — For blooming callas, I use the soil from 
the hennery, and on cold mornings I pour hot water in the saucers; I 
have had a bloom from every bulb. As my fuchsias never grew very 
large, I put in fresh soil and then used some fine manure from the 
hennery, and before spring it covered the window, with every shoot 
in full bloom. 



WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 53 

Camphor — and its uses — Camphor is not a very steady stimulant, 
as its effect is transitory; but in large doses it acts as a narcotic, 
abating pain, and inducing sleep. In moderate doses it operates as a 
diaphoretic and anti-spasmodic, increasing the heat of the body, al- 
laying irritation and spasm. 

It is used externally as a liniment when dissolved in oil, alcohol, or 
acetic acid, being employed to allay rheumatic pains; and it is also 
useful as an embrocation in sprains, bruises, chilblains, and, when 
cotTibined with opium, it has been advantageously employed in fl[a,tu- 
lent colic and severe diarrhoea, being rubbed over the bowels. 

When reduced to a fine powder by the addition of a little spirit of 
wine and friction, it is very usefvd as a local stimulant to indolent 
ulcers, especially when they discharge a foul kind of matter; a pinch 
is taken between the finger and thumb and sprinkled into the ulcer, 
which is then dressed as usual. 

When dissolved in oil of turpentine, and a few drops are placed in 
a hollow tooth and covered with jewellers' wool, or scraped lint, it 
gives almost instant relief to toothache. 

Used internally, it is apt to excite nausea, and even vomiting, 
especially when given in the solid form. 

As a stimulant it is of great service in all low fevers, malignant 
measles, malignant sore throat, and running small-pox; and when 
combined with opium and bark, it is extremely useful in checking the 
progress of malignant ulcers and gangrene. 

As a narcotic it is very useful, because it allays pain and irritation, 
without increasing the pulse very much. 

When powdered and sprinkled upon the surface of a blister, it pre- 
vents the cantharides acting in a peculiar and painful manner upon 
the bladder. 

Combined with senna it increases its purgative properties; audit is 
also used to correct the nausea produced by squills, and the irritating 
effects of drastic purgatives and mezereon. 

Dose — From four grains to one scruple, repeated at short intervals 
when used in small doses, and long intervals when employed in large 
doses. 

Caution — When given in an over-dose it acts as a poison, produc- 
ing vomiting, giddiness, delirium, convulsions, and sometimes death. 

Camphor Tablets. — Melt tallow, and add a little powdered cam- 
phor and glycerine, with a few drops of oil of almonds to scent. Pour 
in moulds and cool. 

Camphor Ice. — Spermaceti, one and one-half ounces; gum cam- 
phor, three-quarters of an ounce; oil sweet almonds, four table- 
spoonfuls; set on the stove in an earthen dish till dissolved; heat just 
enough to dissolve it. When warm pour into small moulds, if de- 
sired to sell; then paper, and put into tinfoil; used for chaps on hands 
or lips. 

Canaries — care of. — Never put canaries in a painted cage, as ihey 
will pick the wires and thus imbibe poison. Brass wire cages are 



54 ^VHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W, 

more cheerful than those made of wood, and can be easily kept clean. 

Give them fresh seed, pure water, both for drmking and bathing, 
cuttlefish, and, in their season; fresh lettuce and chick-weed. Cake is 
hurtful. 

To keep the cage clean, a piece of brown paper covering the bot- 
tom is a great assistance, as it can be replaced every morning. 
Newspaper must never be used, because they may pick at the ink. 

After bathing take out the bath. If it stands all day it becomes 
impure; and the birds are better bathers if the dish is furnished at a 
regular time. 

Keep the perches clean, as you can easily do, by rubbing them 
with sand-paper. Be careful not to frighten the birds in any way. 
Give them a little fresh sand every day. 

Supply fresh air and plenty of sunshine; but guard them from 
drafts and excess of heat. The noon sunshine should not fall directly 
on the cage. 

Baker's sponge cake dipped in sherry wine is strongly recommend- 
ed for sick canary birds that have been moulting. The bird will no 
doubt eat sparingly of it, but the remedy is excellent. It has been 
known in many instances to restore the voice and health of canaries 
after shedding eighteen months and two years. Birds often continue 
moulting from weakness, and a short time feeding them on the cake 
and sherry, in connection with their seed, soon shows a beneficial 
effect. I would also advise not to give the bird any greens to eat, 
nor apples, while in the condition described. 

Canaries having asthma are relieved and sometimes cured by giv- 
ing them a pap made of baker's bread boiled in sweet milk. In very 
bad cases remove their seed for a few days and let them feed entirely 
upon it. The following treatment completely restored a fine singer 
which I had quite despaired of, as he had been sick and silent for 
months: Leave off seed entirely. Make a paste of sweet milk and 
bread crumbs, throAV the crumbs into the milk while boiling, and stir 
until quite smooth; add a pinch of Cayenne pepper, varied occasion- 
ally by some finely-minced clove or garlic; dissolve in the drinking 
water a little black currant jelly, a bit of fig, or half a potash lozenge. 
I used all of these and my bird is well; so to which the preference 
should be given I know not, though I incline to the jelly. It may 
take a long time to cure the bird, and if the trouble arises from hard- 
ness of the tongue, it must be painted daily with strong borax-water. 
If he sneezes a little olive-oil must be gently put up the nostrils. He 
should have plenty of tepid water to bathe in, celery, sweet apple, or 
lettuce. But by no means hang him close to the window, the cold is 
too severe, even in a moderately warm room, for a bird in delicate 
health. Paste must be fresh daily. 

Canaries — to remove red mites from. — Put into the cage as a 
perch one or more hollow sticks, with holes cut into them at short 
distances as in a cane pipe. The insects crawl into these, and can 
easily be knocked or shaken out, or destroyed by letting hot water 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 55 

run through the sticks. This should be done every day till the bird 
is relieved. Hang a piece of new white flannel in the cage at night 
next the perch so that it shades the bird from the light. In the morn- 
ing you will find the mites on the flannel; wash, or put in a new piece 
the following night, and continue doing so until they are all remov- 
ed. It is also well to scald the cage. The perches should be of red 
cedar wood. 

Cancer — cure for. — The following is said to be a sure cure for can- 
cer: A piece of sticking plaster is put over the cancer, with a circular 
piece cut oiU of the center, a little larger than the cancer, so that the 
cancer and a small circular rim of healthy skin next to it is exposed. 
Then a plaster, made of chloride of zinc, blood root and wheat flour, is 
spread on a piece of muslin, the size of this circular opening, and 
applied to the cancer for twenty-four hours. On removing it, the can- 
cer will be found burned into, and appear of the color and hardness of 
an old shoe sole, and the circular rim outside of it will appea-r white 
and parboiled, as if scalded by hot steam. The wound is now dress- 
ed, and the outside rim soon separates, and the cancer comes out in a 
hard lump, and the place heals up. The plaster kills the cancer, so 
that it sloughs like dead flesh, and never grows again. The remedy 
was discovered by Dr. King, of London, and has been used by him 
for several years with unfailing success, and not a case has been known 
of the reappearance of the cancer when this remedy has been applied. 

Cancer — cure. — Take the blossoms of red clover and make tea of 
them, and drink freely. It will cure cancer in the stomach as well 
as on the surface. 

Candied Lemon Peel. — Peel some fine lemons, with all the inner 
pulp, in halves or quarters; have ready a very strong syrup of white 
sugar and water; put the peels into it, and keep them boiling lill the 
syrup is nearly reduced. Take them out and set them to dry with 
the outer peel downward. 

Candied Orange Peel. — Make a vea-y strong syrup of white sugar 
and water; take off the peels from several oranges in halves or quarters, 
and boil them in the syrup till it is nearly reduced. After this take 
them out and set them to dry with the outer skin downward. 

Candy (Vanilla). — Three teacups of white or coffee sugar, one and 
a half teacups unskimmed sweet milk to dissolve it; boil till done, and 
flavor with vanilla; after it cools a little, stir until hard and eat when 
you please. 

Candy — for colds. — Boil one and one-half pounds of sugar in a 
half-pint of water, till it begins to candy round the sides; put in eight 
drops of essence; pour it upon buttered paper, and eat it with a 
knife. 

Candy (Home Made). — All children are fond of candy, and if pure, 
a moderate amount is not injurious. In these days of adulteration, 
that made at home is the safest to give them. It is a simple matter to 
make chocolate caramels; all that is needed is one cup of sweet milk, 
one cup of molasses, half a cup of sugar, half a cup of grated choco- 



56 WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW, 

late, a piece of butler the size of a walnut; stir constantly and let it 
boil until it is thick, and turn it out upon buttered plates; when it 
begins to stiffen mark it in squares so that it will break readily when 
cold. Cocoanut caramels are made of two cups of grated cocoanut, 
one cup of sugar, two teaspoonfuls of flour, the whites of three eggs 
beaten stiff; bake on a buttered paper in a quick oven. 

Candy (Almond). — Take one pound of sugar and about half a pint 
of water; put in part of the white of an egg to clarify the sugar; let 
this boil a few minutes, and remove any scum that rises. When the 
sugar begins to candy drop in the dry almonds; first, however, you 
should blanch the nuts by pouring hot water over them, and letting 
them stand in it a few minutes; then the skin will slip off readih. . 
Spread the candy on buttered plates to cool. 

Candy (Butter Scotch). — One pound of C sugar, three ounces of 
butter, put in a stew. pan or kettle, and stir often to prevent burning. 
Try a little in water; if brittle it is done. Pour out on the top of a 
buttered pan and mark in squares. 

Candy (Cream). — To three pounds of loaf sugar add one-half pint 
of water, and set it over a slow fire for half an hour; then add a tea- 
spoonful of gum arable dissolved, and a tablespoonful of vinegar. 
Boil it till it is brittle, then take it off, and ftavor with vanilla, rose, 
or orange. Rub the hands with sweet butter, and pull the candy till 
.t is white; then twist or break it, or stretch it out into thin white strips, 
and cut it off. 

Candy (Fig). — Take one pound of sugar and one pint of water; set 
over a slow fire. When done add a few drops of vinegar and a lump 
of butter, and pour into pans in which split figs are laid. 

Candy (Raisin). — Raisin candy can be made in the same manner 
as fig candy, substituting stoned raisins for the figs. Common molasses 
candy is very nice with all kinds of nuts added. 

Candy (Lemon). — Boil a pound and a half of sugar in a half pint 
of water till it begins to candy round the sides; put in eight drops of 
essence of lemon. Pour it upon buttered paper and cut it with a 
knife. 

Candy (Molasses). — West India molasses, one gallon; brown 
sugar, two pounds; boil the molasses and sugar in a preserving kettle 
over a slow fire; when done enough it will cease boiling; stir fre- 
quently, and when nearly done, stir in the juice of four lemons or two 
teaspoonfuls of essence of lemon; afterward butter a pan, and pour 
out. 

Candles (Adamantine). — Melt together ten ounces mutton tallovi^; 
camphor, one-quarter ounce; beeswax, four ounces; alum, two 
ounces. 

Candles (Lard). — Dissolve one-quarter pound alum and one-quar- 
ter pound saltpeter in one-half pint water on a slow fire; then take 
three pounds of lard cut into small pieces, and put into this pot with 
this solution, stirring it constantly over a very moderate fire until the 
lard is all dissolved; then let it simmer until all steam ceases to rise 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO U.LD KNO W. 57 

and remove it at once from the fire. If you leave it too long it will 
be discolored. These candles are harder and better than tallow. 

Candles (Imitation Wax). — Purify melted tallow by throwing in 
powdered quick-lime, -then add two parts wax to one of tallow, and a 
most beautiful article of candle, res^^nbling wax, will be the result. 
Dip the wicks in lime water and saltpeter on making. To a gallon of 
water add two ounces saltpeter and one-half pound of lime; it im-/ 
proves the light, and prevents the tallow from running. J 

Candle — to last all night. — When, as in a case of sickness, a 
dull light is wished, or when m-atches are mislaid, put powdered salt 
on the candle till it reaches the black part of the wick. In this way a 
mild and steady light may be kept throughout the night by a small 
piece of candle. 

Cane Chair Bottom — to restore. — Turn the chair bottom upward, 
and with hot water and sponge wash the cane work well, so that it 
is well soaked; should it be dirty, use soap; let it dry in the air, and 
it will be as tight and firm as new, provided none of the canes are 
broken. 

Caramels — to make. — i. Lemon caramels are made by grat- 
ing the yellow rind of a lemon with a lump of sugar; add to this 
a few drops of lemon juice, with water enough to dissolve the sugar 
completely, and stir the whole into a boiled syrup a few minutes be- 
fore it is taken from the fire. 

2. Orange and lime caramels are prepared in the same manner 
from these respective fruits. 

3. Coffee caramels: coffee, two ounces; sugar, one pound. Make 
an infusion of the coffee, using as little water as possible; strain it 
through a cloth, and stir it gradually into the boiled syrup a few 
minutes before taking it from the fire. 

4. Chocolate caramels: chocolate, four ounces; sugar, one pound. 
Dissolve the chocolate in as little water as possible, and add it to the 
boiled sugar, as in the coffee caramels. 

5. Vanilla and orange cream caramels are made by using the re- 
spective essences of these fruits. 

Caramels (Cocoa-nut, etc.) — Cocoa-nut candy is made by taking 
two pounds of sugar to an ordinary cocoa-nut. Add the milk of the 
cocoa-nut to the sugar, with a little water if the milk is less than a 
small teacupful. Stew until it ropes when poured from a spoon, then 
stir in the cocoa-nut, v/hich you should have already grated, and 
pour into buttered pans. When cool break into pieces — a process 
which will be facilitated if, when the candy is cool, but not cold, you 
score it half through with a knife. Any nut candy can be made in 
the same manner by substituting nut kernels for the grated cocoanut. 
For cream candy allow a cupful of rich cream to three pounds of 
sugar, and stew until the syrup candies when dropped into cold 
water. Then flavor with vanilla, lemon, or what you like, and pour 
into buttered pans to cool, or pull the candy as you prefer. Another 
lecipe for cream candy, without the cream, requires two cups of gran- 



58 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W, 

ulated sugar, half a cup of water, a piece of butter the size of a wal- 
nut, two tablespoonfuls of vinegar and two teaspoonfuls of vanilla. 
Do not stir while boiling. When done pour on buttered plates, and 
when cold pull it until white. 

Card-case for a Watch. — Take two pieces of card ten inches 
long and three and one-half inches wide, and cut the ends pointed. 
Cover both pieces with velvet or silk, and embroider a vine of flowers 
on one end, or if preferred, paint in water colors. Overhand the two 
pieces together and finish the edge with gilt cord. Make a ring of 
twisted cord at the top. Bend the card up at three inches to form the 
rack, and fasten at the sides with cord and tassels. Twist a large 
hook with gilt wire and sew an inch below the ring at the top, for the 
watch. 

Carminative (Dalby's). — Magnesia, three drams; oil peppermint, 
three drops; oil nutmeg, seven drops; oil anise, nine drops; tincture 
of castor, one and one-half drams; tincture of assafoetida, forty-five 
drops; tincture of opium, eighteen drops; essence pennyroyal, fifty 
drops; tincture of cardamons, ninety-five drops; peppermint water, 
seven ounces; mix. 

Carnations — from cuttings. — Carnations are easily rooted from 
slips. Take off the small side shoots when about two inches long. 
If your plants are in pots, plant them around the edge, pressing the 
soil very firmly about the portion inserted. Do not water them only 
when the parent plant requires it. If they are cultivated in the 
ground, plant them in the same bed, taking the same precaution to 
make the earth compact about the slips, so they will not dry up in- 
stead of rooting. If the ground is slightly moist, it is enough for 
them, but if very dry sprinkle occasionally. 

Carpets — to clean. — A few drops of carbonate of ammonia put 
into a small quantity of warm rain water will prove a safe and easy 
anti-acid, and will change, if carefully applied, discolored spots upon 
carpets, and indeed all spots whether produced by acids or alkalies. 
If you have a carpet injured by whitewash this will immediately re- 
store it. 

Carpets — to put do-wn. — All housekeepers understand the difli- 
culty of putting down carpets, and especially where they require con- 
siderable stretching. All people have not carpet stretchers, so I will 
give you a plan within reach of all, which is far better, as there is no 
danger of tearing the carpet. Tack one end of the carpet down 
firmly; then put on a pair of common rubbers, step short, lift your 
feet as little as possible from the carpet and scuff across to the oppo- 
site side, and stand still while somebody nails it for you. You will 
be astonished at the ease and quickness with which your work is ac- 
complished, no matter how much stretching your carpet requires. 
See that the rubbers are not worn too smooth upon the bottoms. 

Carpets — to cleanse — The following mixture is recommended for 
taking grease out of carpets: Aqua ammonia, two ounces; soft water, 
one quart; saltpetre, one teaspoonful; shaving-soap, one ounce, finely 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 59 

scraped. Mix well, shake and let it stand a few hours or days before 
using, to dissolve the soap. When used pour on enough to cover any 
grease or oil that has been spilled, sponging and rubbing well and 
applying again if necessary; then wash off with clear cold water. It 
is a good mixture to have in the house for many things; is sure death 
to bed-bugs if put in the crevices which they inhabit; will rem-ove 
paint where oil was used in mixing it, and will not injure the finest 
fabrics. 

Carpets — to remove ink from. — Take up as much as possible with 
a spoon, pour cold sweet milk upon the spot and take up with a 
spoon until the milk is only faintly tinged with ink, then wash with 
cold water and wipe dry. The writer has in this way removed nearly 
half a pint of ink from a delicate cream-colored carpet without leaving 
a stain. 

Carpet (faded) — to restore. — Dip the carpet in strong salt and 
water. Blue factory cotton, or silk handkerchiefs will not fade if 
dipped in salt water while they are new. 

Carpets — to renovate. — To one pail of warm water add one pint 
of ox-gall; dip a soaped flannel into the mixture, and rub well the 
surface of the carpet, piece by piece, rinsing it as you proceed with 
clean, cold water, taking care not to make the carpet too wet, and 
finish off by rubbing with a dry coarse cloth. The carpet, of course, 
must be well beaten before it is operated upon. This process is 
simply and surprisingly effective in renovating the colors. The only 
drawback is the effluvium given off by the gall; but this is soon rem- 
edied by exposure to the air, or by opening the windows if the carpet 
be laid down. 

Carpet — to patch. — If you have an old carpet badly worn, cut a 
patch to cover the holes, taking care to match figure or stripe per- 
fectly, paste it on with flour paste and iron on very tight with a hot 
iron. 

Carpets — to brighten. — A slightly damp cloth rubbed over a dusty 
carpet brightens it wonderfully and gathers all the dust. This is an 
excellent way to cleanse the floor of an invalid's room where noise 
and dust are objectionable. Carpets should be thoroughly beaten on 
the wrong side first, and then on the right, after v/hich spots may be 
removed by the use of ox-gall or ammonia and water. 

Carpet (Rag) — to make. — While a smooth, tasteful and not too 
heavy rag carpet is a treasure in the farmhouse dining or sitting- 
room, if we are to have carpets there at all, the loose, homely, and 
above all the rough and heavy rag carpet, is an abomination any- 
where. To insure the former, care must be taken in preparing the 
rags. First, they must be sorted and washed clean, then cut or torn 
finely and evenly. Old calico must have most width; old white cot- 
ton should be a trifle narrower; flannel a little narrower still, while 
old broadcloth or full cloth must be cut or torn very fine. The rags 
should all be as nearly as possible of the same size when beaten up. 



6o M^HA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

A carpet in which great care is taken in this particular looks much 
less " rag carpety " than if the rags are carelessly cut or torn. 

Next the sewing must be well done, so there will be no loose ends 
or corners left to fly up in weaving or sweeping, as this makes a 
carpet exceedingly rough and homely. If there is much thick cloth 
among the rags, and one desires an extra nice carpet, it is better to 
clip a bit off from the side of the ends of the thick rags, so as to lessen 
the bunch where sewed together. The extra work of doing this is 
not noticeable, and the carpet is much smoother and finer looking 
when done. 

Whether or no the carpet has a pleasing effect to the eye depends 
greatly on the taste of the maker and weaver in the arrangement of 
colors. Many a housekeeper who has spent weeks of hard labor 
upon a carpet has felt greatly disappointed and chagrined when it 
was brought home from the weaver's, because, after all her labor in 
cutting, sewing and coloring, it presented so unsatisfactory an ap- 
pearance, often, indeed, being almost an eyesore from its gaudy look, 
the inharmonious grouping of colors, or some other similar defect. 

Before beginning a carpet one should decide on the general tone 
of it; that is, what the groundwork of color shall be. If brown, the 
greater part of the rags should be of various shades of brown ; the 
warp also being of the same or of some color that will mingle and 
harmonize pleasantly with the rags. The bright rags must be such 
as will either harmonize or contrast agreeably with the rest. The 
warp should be fine, well twisted, laid moderately thick in the reed, 
or in weaver's phrase, be " thick-sleyed," and be well stretched in 
weaving. If this is done and the rags are well beaten up, the carpet 
will be fine and firm, the dust will sweep off instead of sweeping 
through, and it will sweep easily and wear well. 

Carrots — for chickens. — " I feed between twenty and thirty bush- 
els of carrots and beets to my fowls every winter. The best way to 
feed them is to boil them until quite soft, mush them in the water 
they were boiled in, and for laying hens put in enough shorts and 
wheat bran to make a stiff mass. For fattening fowls thicken with 
corn and barley meal. Feed the scraggiest old biddy that ever 
walked on this mixture for two weeks and she will be as plump as an 
alderman. And where chickens intended for the early sprmg market 
have not been well fed from the start, ten or twelve days on the car- 
rot and barley mixture will help them wonderfully. An occasional 
feed on rav/ carrots is greatly relished by fov/ls during cold weather." 

Carrots (Wild) — to destroy. — The carrot is one of the most trouble- 
some weeds with which the farmer has to contend. It is so hardy 
and prolific, that, in some of the states, laws have been passed for its 
suppression. If neglected it will spread over pastures and meadows, 
and take possession of the roadsides.. They do not show themselves 
much in the early part of the season, but after the mowing in June 
and July, they shoot up rapidly, and show their white blossoms in 
every direction. Som« farmers seek to destroy them by pulling 



IVHA T E VER V ONE SHOULD KNO W. 61 

them up by the roots, an efifectual, but very expensive process. The 
plant is biennial, and if it is not permitted to scatter its seeds it can 
just as surely be eradicated by mowing, while in blossom, or any time 
before it drops its seeds. There is little danger of leaving it until 
August or early in September. If cut before seeding, the plants may 
be left upon the ground. If later, gather into heaps and burn, or put 
into a compost heap. 

Carriages — care of. — On the authority of the Cai-riage Monthly, 
more injury is done to carriages and wagons by greasing too much, 
than the reverse. Tallow is the, best lubricant for wood axles, and 
castor oil for iron. Lard and common grease are apt to penetrate 
the hub, and work their way out around the tenons of the spokes and 
spoil the wheel. For common wood axles, just enough grease should 
be applied to the spindle to give it a light coating. To oil an iron 
axle, first wipe clean with a cloth wet with turpentine, and then ap- 
ply a few drop.1 of castor oil near the shoulder and end. One tea- 
spoonful is enough for the wheels. Carriages are sometimes oiled so 
much that their appearance is spoiled by having the grease spattered 
upon their varnished surfaces. When they are washed in that con- 
dition, the grease is sure to be transferred to the chamois from the 
wheel, and from thence on to the panels. 

Carriage-tops — care of. — Enamel leather tops should be first 
washed with castile soap and then warm water, then oiled with 
neat's-foot oil; or sweet oil and a coat of enamel varnish put on, the 
leather will look like new. Dashes may be cleaned in the same man- 
ner, but varnish color is not very beneficial to patent leather; how- 
ever, when old and cracked, it may be colored to improve the ap- 
pearance. 

Cashmere (Black) — to cleanse. — To clean black cashmere, wash in 
hot suds in which a little borax has been placed. Rinse in bluing 
water — very blue — and iron while damp. If carefully done the ma- 
terial will look equal to new. 

Cast-iron Vessels — to mend. — Drill a hole at each extreme end of 
the crack, to prevent its further extension, plug-rivet the holes with 
copper, and, with fine iron filings saturated with urine, caulk the 
crack. Four parts of pulverized clay and one part of iron filings 
made into a paste with boiling linseed oil and applied hot is a good 
cement for the same purpose. 

Castor Oil — to administer. — If it is necessary to administer cas- 
tor oil to a child there is no need of sickening him by forcing him to 
take it clear. Put a little cold water in a wine glass, then drop the 
oil in; it will form one large globule; have the child wet his mouth 
\w{\\\ v;-ater, and then drink from the wine glass rapidly, keeping his 
mouth closed for a minute or two after, and he will never know by 
the taste what he has taken. Even cod-liver oil can be taken in this 
way, and the patient need never be disturbed by the taste. 

Castor Oil — to make palatable. — Boil castor oil with an equal 
quantity of milk, sweetened with a little sugar. Stir it well and let it 



62 WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

cool. Another good way is to beat the castor oil with the white of 
an egg" until both are thoroughly mixed. In either case the taste of 
the oil cannot be distinguished. 

Castor Oil — to make. — To make common castor oil, take pale 
vegetable oil, one gallon; castor oil, three gallons; mix. If a less 
quantity is wanted, use a proportionate amount of each. 

Catarrh — cure for. — The smoke of mullein leaves has long been 
considered as a specific for catarrh. It will doubtless, in many cases, 
alleviate, if it does not cure. The leaves should be thoroughly dried, 
and then used as tobacco in a pipe. The smoke should be pressed in 
the back of the mouth and exhaled through the nose; once or twice a 
week will suffice, and should be persevered in. If properly cured 
there will not bean acrid exudation. A little piece of sponge in the 
bowl of the pipe will prevent the juice from passing to the mouth. 

Catarrh — remedy for. — A medical authority asserts that the sever- 
est catarrh cold can be removed in about ten hours by a mixture of 
carbolic acid, ten drops; tincture of iodine and chloroform, each fif- 
teen drops. A few drops of the mixture should be heated over a 
spirit lamp in a test tube, the end of which should be applied to the 
nostrils as volatilization is effected. The operation should be re- 
peated in about two minutes, when, after the patient sneezes a num- 
ber of times, the troublesome symptoms rapidly disappear. 

Catarrh — cure. — A most unfailing remedy for catarrh is to smoke 
crushed cubeb berries in a clay pipe and swallow the smoke. They 
can be procured at any drug store, at a moderate cost. 

Catarrh — specific. — Take dry bloodroot and reduce it to pow- 
der; mix it with gum camphor. Use it as a snuff. It is said to 
be a certain cure. 

Catarrh — treatment of — Prepare creosote water, in any amount, 
at the rate of one drop of wood creosote to one gill of water (four 
drops to the pint), or a little more water if the creosote be very strong 
and the water too irritating. Make a fresh mixture once in two or 
three days, and as much oftener as more is needed. Take a handful 
of this water, previously well shaken, and snuff it through the nose 
into the mouth, and eject it. A little going down the throat will do 
no harm. Do this two or three times, and repeat it at bedtime, in the 
morning on rising, and, if need be, occasionally during the day. In 
fact, keep the nasal passages washed out with the creosote water. Its 
vapor will even penetrate the bony cavities, and also be drawn into 
the lungs with useful results. It destroys the purulent mucus, and 
tends to prevent its further secretion. It is useful for any discharges 
from the nose or lungs produced by colds or general weakness. 
For bronchitis, and especially for catarrh, good rare cooked beef or 
other nourishing food, and quinine if needed, to obtain and retain a 
vigorous system, are capital aids to the creosote or any other medi- 
cine. 

Catsup (Tomato.) — Cut one peck of ripe tomatoes in halves, 
boil them in a lined saucepan until the pulp is all dissolved, then 



IV II A T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO V.^. 63 

strain them well through a hair-sieve and set the liquor on to boil, 
adding one ounce of salt, one ounce of mace, one tablespoonful of 
blaxk pepper, one teaspoonful of red pepper, one tablespoonful of 
ground cloves, five of ground mustard; let them all boil together for 
five or six hours, and stir them most of the time. Let the mixture 
stand eight or ten hours in a cool place, add one pint of vinegar, and 
then bottle it; seal the corks and keep in a cool, dark place. 

Cattle — salt and water for. — " I often hear advice given to salt 
cattle often. Now, I believe that cows should have salt at least once 
a week — ^twice is really not too often — but care should also be taken 
that they have access to water. My experience is that salt, unless 
soon followed by water to dilute it, has injurious effects. It produces 
alone a fever in the stomach, and creates a burning thirst which is bad 
for the animal." 

Cauliflower — to cook. — Pick off the leaves and cut the stalk close 
to the bottom of the bunch of flowers, and lay in cold water for half 
an hour. Unless very large do not cut it; if you do, quarter it neatly. 
Tie a close net of coarse bobbinet lace or tarlatan about it to prevent 
breaking or bruising; put into boiling water salted, and cooked until 
tender. Undo and remove the net, and lay the cauliflower in a hot 
dish. Have ready a large cupful of nice drawn butter and pour over 
it. Cut with a silver knife and fork in helping it out, and give a little 
of the sauce to each person. Take it out of the water as soon as it is 
done, serve quickly, and eat hot. It darkens when standing. 

Cauliflower — to pickle. — Choose such as are firm, yet of their full 
size; cut away all the leaves, and pare the stalk, pull away the flowers 
by bunches, steep in brine two days, then drain them; wipe them dry 
and put them into hot pickle; or merely infuse for three days three 
ounces of curry powder in every quart of vinegar. 

Cement (Alabaster). — i. Finely powdered plaster of Paris made 
into a cream with water. 2. Melt yellow resin, or equal parts of 
bellow resin and beeswax; then stir it in half as much plaster of Paris, 
ihe first is used to join and fit together pieces of alabaster or marble, 
or to mend broken plaster figures. The second is used to join alabas- 
ter, marble, porphyry and any similar substances that will bear being 
heated. It must be applied hot, and the stone must be made v.'arm. 
Many stones may also be joined by heating them sufficiently to melt 
a lump of sulphur, with which their edges must then be smeared, 
after which they must be placed together, and held so until cold. 
Little deficiencies, as chips out of the corners, etc., may be filled up 
with melted sulphur or bleached shellac, colored to any shade, as re- 
quired. 

Cement (Acid Proof). — How to make paste or cementing material 
that is proof against acid fumes — like those given off in the prepara- 
tion of silver nitrate, for instance — is well worth knowing. Finely 
powdered glass, mixed with soluble silicate of soda, will give a ma- 
terial of this description. 

Cement — for aquaria. — One part, by measure, say a gill of litharge. 



64 IVHA r E VER V ONE SHOULD KNO W. 

one gill of plaster of Paris, one gill of dry, white sand, one-third of a 
gill of finely powdered resin. Sift, and keep corked tight until re- 
quired for use, when it is to be made into a putty by mixing in boiled 
oil (linseed) with a little patent drier added. Never use it after it has 
been mixed (that is, with the oil) over fifteen hours. This cement 
can be used for marine as well as fresh water aquaria, as it resists 
the action of salt water. The tank can be used immediately, but it 
is best to give it three or four hours to dry. 

Cement — to mend china. — Take a very thick solution of gum 
arable, and stir into it plaster of Paris, until the mixture is of proper 
consistency. Apply it with a brush to the fractional edges of the 
chinaware, and stick them together. In a few^ days it will be impos- 
sible to break the aiticle in the same place. The whiteness of the 
cement renders it doubly valuable. 

Cement — for joining china or glass. — i. Isinglass, one ounce; 
distilled vinegar, five and a half ounces; spirit.3 of wine, two ounces; 
gum ammoniac, one-half ounce; gum mastic, one-half ounce. Mix 
well and keep in a bottle tightly corked. 

2. Soak a little fine isinglass in water until it is quite soft, then dis- 
solve it in proof spirit, stirring in a little resin varnish, 

3. Take rough Russian isinglass, soak in sufficient water to make it 
soft, then dissolve it in proof spirit, and add a little resin varnish. 

Cement — Egyptian. — For mending china, glass or Avoodenware, 
take one pound of the best white glue, one-half pound dry white lead, 
one quart soft water, one-half pint alcohol; put the three articles in a 
dish, and that dish in a pot of boiling water; let it boil until dis- 
solved, then add the alcohol and let it boil again until mixed. A 
little camphor should be added to preserve it and disguise its compo- 
sition. 

Cement — to fasten leather on top rollers. — Gum arable, two and 
three-quarter ounces; isinglass two and three-quarter ounces; dissolve 
each separately in water, and mix. 

Cement (Glycerine). — Professor Hirzel has discovered an impor- 
tant use of glycerine. When glycerine is mixed with fine and well 
dried litharge, it j'ields a cement that is capable of a large number of 
applications. All metals and nearly all solid bodies can be bound 
together by this cement. It is said to harden under water as readily 
as in the air, and to resist a temperature of five hundred degrees. It 
is especially recommended for such pneces or apparatus as are exposed 
to the action of chlorine, hydrochloric acid, sulphuric acid, sulphur- 
ous acid, and nitric acid; also the vapor of alcohol, ether, and bisul- 
phide of carbon, as none of these agents act upon it. The cement 
can be used in steam engines, pumps, foundations for machinery, 
and finally, as a substitute for plaster in galvano-plaster and electro- 
plating. The preparation of glycerine and litharge to be taken must 
depend som.ewhat on the consistency of the cement, and its proposed 
uses. An excess of glycerine would retard the setting, as it does not 
readily evaporate. 



WHA T EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW, 65 

Cement (Gutta Percha), — ^This highly recommended cement is 
made by melting together, in an iron pan, two parts common pitch, 
and one part gutta percha, stirring them well together until thorough- 
ly incorporated, and then pouring the liquid into cold water. When 
cold it is black, solid and clastic; but it softens with heat, and at one 
hundred degrees Fahrenheit is a thin fluid. It may be used as a soft 
paste, or in the liquid state, and answers an excellent purpose in 
cementing metal, glass, porcelain, ivory, etc. It may be used instead 
of putty for glazing windows. 

Cement (Japanese). — Immediately mix the best powdered rice 
with a little cold water, then gradually add boiling water until a 
proper consistency is acquired, being particularly ciareful to keep it 
well stirred all the time; lastly, it must be boiled for a minute in a 
clean saucepan or earthen pipkin. This glue is beautifully white and 
almost transparent, for which reason it is well adapted for fancy 
paper work, which requires a strong and colorless cement. 

Cement (Je"weiers' Armenian). — Isinglass soaked in water and 
dissolved in spirit, two ounces (thick); dissolve in this ten grains of 
very pale gum ammonia (in tears) by rubbing them together, then add 
six large tears of gum mastic, dissolved in the least possible quantity 
of rectified spirits. When carefully made, this cement resists naoist- 
ure and dries colorless. Keep in a closely stopped phial. 

Cement (Jewelers').— Put in a bottle two ounces of isinglass and 
one ounce of the best gum arable, cover them with proof spirits, 
cork loosely, and place the bottle in a vessel of water, and boil it till a 
thorough solution is effected, then strain it for use. 

Cement — for petroleum lamps. — Boil three parts of resin with one 
part of caustic soda and five of water. The composition is then 
mixed with half its weight of plaster of Paris, and sets firmly in one- 
half to three-quarters of an hour. It is of great adhesive power, not 
permeable to petroleum, a low conductor of heat, but not superficially 
attacked by hot water. 

Cement — for kerosene oil lamps. — The cement commonly used 
for fastening the tops on kerosene lamps is plaster of Paris, which is 
porous and quickly penetrated by the kerosene. Another cement 
which has not this defect is made with three parts of resin, one of 
caustic soda, and five of water. The composition is mixed with half 
its weight of plaster of Paris. It sets firmly in about three-quarters 
of an hour, and is said to have great adhesive power, not permeable 
to kerosene, a low conductor of heat, and not superficially attacked 
by water. 

Cement — to withstand heat and moisture. — Pure white lead or 
zinc-white ground in oil and used very thick is an excellent cement 
for mending broken crockery ware; but it iakes a very long time to 
harden. It is well to put the mended object in some store-room, and 
not to look after it for several weeks, or even months. It will then 
be found so firmly united that, if ever again broken, it will not part 
on the line of the former fracture. 



66 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

Cement — for sealing bottles, etc. — Mix three parts of resin, one 
of caustic soda, and five of water, this composition is then mixed 
with half its weight of plaster of Paris. The compound sets in three- 
quarters of an hour, adheres strongly, is not permeable like plaster 
used alone, and is attacked only slightly by warm water. 

Cement — for general use. — One of the most useful cements for 
general use, is made by melting together two parts of common pitch 
and one part of pure (not vulcanized or manufactured) gutta percha. 
When thoroughly mixed, pour into cold water, and makeup into con- 
venient sticks. There are few articles that this will not luiite and 
hold, when the color is not objectionable, and the article is not to be 
heated. 

Cement — for broken marble. — Take gum arable one pound; make 
into a thick mucilage; add to it powdered plaster of Paris, one and a 
haif pounds; sifted quick lime, five ounces; mix well; heat the mar- 
ble and apply the mixture. 

Cement — for glass. — A good and durable cement for repairing 
glass is made by dissolving fine glue in acetic acid until a thin paste 
is formed. The articles to be mended should be perfectly clean, as 
the least bit of greasy substance on the broken edges will prevent it 
from sticking. 

Cement — for china, etc. — An excellent cement for mending china 
articles when broken can be made by mixing flour with white of ^%^ 
to the consistency of a paste. Hot water does not injure, but rather 
hardens this simple cement. 

Cement — for stoves, etc. — Wood ashes and common salt, made 
compact with water, will stop the cracks of a stove, and prevent the 
smoke from escaping. 

Cement — to mend leaky boilers. — Powdered litharge, two parts; 
very fine sand, two parts; slaked quick lime, one part. Mix all to- 
gether. To use, mix the proper quantity with boiled linseed oil and 
apply quick. It gets hard very soon. 

Cement (Turner's). — Beeswax, one ounce; resin; one-half ounce; 
pitch, one-half ounce; melt, and stir in fine brick dust. 

Cement (White). — Take white (fish) glue, one pound and ten 
ounces; dry white lead, six ounces; soft water, three pints; alcohol, 
one pint. Dissolve the glue by putting it in a tin kettle or dish con- 
taining the water, and set this dish in a kettle of water to prevent the 
glue from being burned. When the glue is all dissolved put in the 
lead and stir and boil until it is' thoroughly mixed; remove from the 
fire, and when cool enough to bottle add the alcohol, and bottle while 
it is yet warm, keeping it corked. 

Cement — for mending earthenware. — Grate a pound of old cheese 
with a bread-grater, into a quart of milk, in which it must be left for 
a period of fourteen hours. 'It should be stirred quite often. A 
pound of unslacked lime, finely pulverized in a mortar, is then added 
and the whole is thoroughly mixed by beating. This done, the whites 
of twenty-five eggs are incorporated with the rest and the whole is 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 67 

ready for use. There is another cement for the same purpose which 
is used hot. It is made of resin, beeswax, brick-dust, and chalk 
boiled together. The substances to be cemented must be heated, and 
when the surfaces are^soaked with cement, they must be rubbed hard 
upon each other, as in making a glue joint with wood. 

Cement (Soft) — for steam-boilers, steam-pipes, etc. — Red or 
white lead, in oil, four parts; iron borings, two to three parts. 

Cement (Hard.) — Iron borings and saltwater, and a small quantity 
of sal-ammoniac, with fresh water. 

Cement — for gasfitters'. — Mix together resin, four and one quar- 
ter parts; wax, one part, and Venetian red, three parts. 

Cement — for plumbers'. — Black resin, one part; brick-dust, two 
parts, well incorporated by a melting heat. 

Cement — for coppersmiths'. — Boiled linseed oil and red lead mixed 
together into aputty, are often used by coppersmiths and engineers 
to secure joints; the washers of leather or cloth are smeared with 
this mixture in a pasty state. 

Cement — for holes or cracks. — Red lead ground in oil, six parts; 
white lead, three parts; oxide of manganese, two parts; silicate of 
soda, one part; litharge one-half part; all mixed and used as putty. 

Ceilings — to decorate. — A country house may oftentimes be so 
prettily decorated as to be a joy to its possessor, and a home not in 
the least behind city homes in tasteful arrangement. In fact, so many 
more people in the country own their homes than do city people, that 
it seems almost as if they, as a matter of course, must take a pride in 
decorating and adorning them. We will not speak of roofs and ver- 
andas and vines, etc., which all come outside, and concerning which 
the male nnembers of the family must be more or less consulted be- 
fore change can be made, but of the internal arrangements of the 
wall and woodwork and ceiling. Generally, we find the plain, white- 
washed ceiling in the country house. But it is no more needful there 
than in the city. It can be painted any color which contrasts well 
with the woodwork and paper of the walls. Then with a stepladder, 
paint, brush, and stencil-plate, any lady can decorate her ceiling to 
suit herself. If she feels that she has not the skill — though it does 
not take much — she can purchase exceedingly pretty paper for the 
ceiling, designed in artistic patterns and colors, for moderate cost. 
This, however, needs care in putting on, that it may be straight and 
smooth, and the pattern not twisted awry. I think the paint and 
stencil-plate far easier to manage, and if a simple design has been 
chosen it ought not to be considered a very great task to put it on. 

Ceilings (Smoky) — to clean. — Ceilings that have been smoked by 
a kerosene lamp should be washed off with soda water. Grained 
wood should be washed with cold tea. 

Celery Cream. — Cut celery into very small pieces, rejecting the 
toughest green portions. Add only water enough to keep it from 
burning, and boil it in a closely covered vessel for an hour, or until 
perfectly tender. Then add a sufficient quantity of milk, first thick- 



68 IVHA T E VER V . ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

ened with a tablespoonful of flour to each pint, previously rubbed 
smooth with two tablespoonfuls of butter, and salt and pepper to the 
taste, very little of the pepper. Boil and serve as soon as the flour 
is thoroughly cooked. If made moderately thin with the milk, flour, 
and butter, it can be rubbed through a colander, when it gives a de- 
licious, cream-like soup. Smooth squares of bread well browned are 
frequently put into the soup when finished. A bowl of this, eaten 
with bread, the same as bread and milk, makes an excellent noon 
lunch. 

Celery (Stewed). — The celery is washed and cut up in pieces of an 
inch or less. For this, stalks that are not thoroughly bleached, and 
which would be rejected by those who eat it raw, may be used. That 
which is imperfectly bleached is stronger than that which is white 
throughout, but any unpleasant flavor is driven off in the cooking. 
The celery is covered with water, and allowed to stew gently until 
thoroughly soft. If there is too much water for the sauce, pour off 
the excess, add a generous lump of butter, and flour, stirred first in a 
little cold water, enough to make a sauce about as thick as cream, 
add salt, if needed, and pepper, if desired. Those who try this will 
be quite sure to repeat it. 

Celery Soup. — Cut celery small and stew it until it is very soft. It 
is then to be rubbed through a sieve or colander to separate the 
fibres. This celery pulp is added to a good stock — a plain soup made 
from meat, with only salt as a seasoning, slightly thickened, and 
seasoned with pepper, etc. This is the usual celery soup as met with 
at restaurants. It is better if made with milk. We are not aware of 
any definite proportion; the ce'ery pulp is thinned with milk; flour 
stirred up with butter is added to slightly thicken it, and salt and 
pepper are used as seasoning. A small lump of sugar will greatly 
improve it. Serve very hot. 

Celery — a medicine. — Celery boiled in milk and eaten with the 
milk served as a beverage, is said to be a cure for rheumatism, gout, 
and a specific in case of small-pox. Nervous people find great com- 
fort in celery. 

Chalk — uses of. — Chalk, when prepared by washing, becomes an 
astringent as well as antacid. 

It is used internally in diarrhoea, in the form of mixture, and ex- 
ternally as an application to burns, scalds, and excoriations. 

Dose of the mixture from one to two ounces. 

Chamois Skin — to clean. — Chamois rrvay be cleaned in a solution 
of weak soda and warm water; rub plenty of soft soap into the 
leather, and allow it to remain in soak for two hours, then rub it well 
until it is quite clean. Afterward rinse it well in a weak solution 
composed of warm water, soda, and yellow soap. If rinsed in water 
only, it becomes hard, when dr}-, and unfit for use. The small quan- 
tity of soap left in the leather allows the finer particles of the leather 
to separate and become soft like silk. After rinsing, wring it well in. 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 6g 

a rough towel and dry quickly; then pull it about and brush it well, 
and it will become softer aud better than most new leather. 

Chamois Leather— to cleanse.— Dirty wash leather is frequently 
thrown aside and wasted for the want of knowing how to clean it. 
Make a solution of weak soda and warm water, rub plenty of soft 
soap into the leather and allow it to remain in soak for two hours, 
then rub it well until it is quite clean. Afterward rinse it well in a 
weak solution composed of warm water, soda, and yellow soap. It 
must not be rinsed in water only, for then it would be so hard, when 
dry, as to be unfit for use. It is the small quantity of soap left in the 
leather that allows the finer particles of the leather to separate and 
become soft like silk. After rinsing wring it well in a rough towel 
and dry quickly, then pull it about and brush it well, and it will be- 
come softer and better than most new leather. In using a rough 
leather to touch up highly polished surfaces, it is frequently observed 
to scratch the work; this is caused by particles of dust, and even hard 
rouge, that are left in the leather, and if removed by a clean, rough 
brush it will then give the brightest and best finish, which all good 
workmen like to see on their work. 

Chamomile Tea — tonic. — Into a common china teapot put about 
twenty-five good sized chamomile flowers, and pour over them one 
pint of boiling water. Let the infusion stand half an hour; then pour 
it off into a wine bottle, and, if desired, sweeten it with a little sugar 
or honey. It is best unsweetened; a wineglass should be taken three 
times a day before eating. 

Chamomile — and its uses. — The flowers of the chamomile are 
tonic, slightly anodyne, anti-spasmodic, and emetic. 

They are used externally as fomentations, in colic, face-ache, and 
tumors, and for unhealthy ulcers. 

They are used internally in the form of infusion, wUh carbonate of 
soda, ginger, and other stomachic remedies, in dyspepsia, flatulent 
colic, debility following dysentery, and gout. 

Warm infusion of the flowers acts as an emetic; and the powdered 
flowers are sometimes combined with opium or kino, and given in 
intermittent fevers. 

Dose: Of the powdered flowers, from ten grains to one dram, twice 
or thrice a day; of the infusion, from one to two ounces, as a tonic, 
three times a day; and from six ounces to one pint, as an emetic; of 
the extract, from five to twenty grains. 

Champagne — for hot weather. — To four parts of seltzer water add 
one ounce of Moselle wine, or hock, and put a teaspoonful of 
powdered sugar into a wineglassful of this mixture; an ebullition 
takes place and you have a sort of champagne which is more whole- 
some in hot weather than the genuine wine known by that name. 

Chandelier — to rene'w. — To renew a dusty and discolored chande- 
lier, apply a mixture of bronze powder and copal varnish. The drug- 
gist where they are purchased will tell you in what proportion they 
should be mixed. 



70 WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD A'lVO W. 

Chapped Hands. — When one's hands are chapped, he is always 
more or less liable to absorb poisonous matter into his system — in the 
handling, say, of putrid meat, or in the washing of clothes from a 
sick-room, or dressing some foul sore. Where the surface oil is suffi- 
cient, it is apt to be washed off, especially with warm v/ater, faster 
than it is secreted. But the difficulty is greatly increased by the 
alkali (soda or potash) of the soap, which not only takes up the oil, 
but actually eats through the epidermis. The best help for chapped 
hands is, having washed them thoroughly before retiring, to rub them 
over with mutton tallow and wear through the night a pair of easy- 
leather gloves. Persons in whom the tendency to chap is not so 
strong, may keep their hands in condition by an occasional resort to 
this treatment. 

Chapped Hands — treatment of. — Mix quarter pound unsalted 
hog's lard, which should be washed first in hot water, and then in 
rose-water, with the yolk of a new-laid ^^g and a large spoonful of 
honey. Add to this as much fine oatmeal or almond paste as will 
make the whole into a paste, and apply this after washing the hands. 

Charcoal — to make. — Make a foundation of earth with a slightly 
convex surface slightly nasid above the natural surface, drive a long, 
stout stake down in the middle, and round this pile the wood cut into 
lengths of three feet or so. When the heap is finished cover the pile 
with two inches of dry earth, covered with sod, grass side in. The 
stake may then be drawn out, and the cavity filled with shavings and 
chips. The hole in the top must be closed as soon as the fire is fairly 
started. Ventilating spaces must be left at the base till the fire is well 
established. 

Charlotte Russe. — i. Take one-fifth of a package of gelatine and 
one half a cupful cold milk: place in a farina boiler and stir gently 
over the fire until the gelatine is dissolved; pour into a dish and place 
in a cool room; take one pint of rich cream and whisk it with a tin egg- 
beater until it is thick; flavor the cream with either vanilla or wune, 
and sweeten to taste; when the gelatine is cool strain carefully into the 
prepared cream; line a mould with lady fingers; then pour the cream 
in carefully until it is filled; cover with lady fingers and ice the top if 
you desire it. 

2. A simple but delicious charlotte russe is made as follows: One 
pint of sweet cream, sweetened and flavored to taste; one and one- 
half ounces of Cox's gelatine, whites of three eggs; dissolve the 
gelatine in a little milk and add it to the cream, let it stand until quite 
cold, then add the whites of the eggs beaten very stiff. Line your 
moulds with long strips of sponge cake or lady fingers and fill with 
the above mixture. 

Checks. — Bank checks are orders drawn by individuals or firms on 
a bank or banker, payable either to " bearer " or to "order." When 
payable to " bearer " they are usually paid to the holder on presenta- 
tion; if to "order," although properly endorsed, strangers cannot 
draw money on them without being identified. 



IV HA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 71 

All checks must be presented within a reasonable time, 

A creditor is not bound to take a check in payment of debt. 

Cheese — coloring for. — The coloring for cheese is, or at least 
should be, Spanish annatto; but, as soon as coloring became general 
in this country, a color of an adulterated kind was exposed for sale in 
almrst every shop. The weight of a guinea and a half of real Spanish 
annatto is sufficient for a cheese of fifty pounds' weight. If a consider- 
able part of the cream of the night's milk be taken for butter, more 
coloring will be requisite. The leaner the cheese is, the more color- 
ing it requires. The manner of using annatto is to tie up in a linen rag 
the quantity deemed sufficient, and put it into one-half pint of warm 
water over night. This infusion is put into the tub of milk in the 
morning with the rennet infusion; dipping the rag into the milk, and 
rubbing it against the palm of the hand as long as any color runs out. 
The yolk of &%^ will color butter. 

Cheese — to keep from mould. — Dissolve a spoonful of bruised 
•pepper, two teaspoonfuls of salt, and the same quantity of boracic 
acid in a quarter of a pint of brandy for a few days; then filter the 
fluid through a cloth and dilute with an equal quantity of water. 
Some of the preparation is introduced into the cracks of the cheese 
by means of a feather, or better with a small glass syringe. If places 
which have been nibbled by mice are rubbed with the liquid no mould 
will form. It will put " jumpers " to flight. 

Cheese — from veal. — Take out the bone from a shoulder of veal, 
and cut it into small pieces; stew till tender in a very little water. 
Remove all pieces of gristle, and chop very fine; then return to the 
same liquor it was boiled in; add one pound of cold boiled pork, 
chopped very fine, one spoonful of salt, one teaspoonful each of pep- 
per and mace, a variety of sweet herbs, and two well-beaten eggs; 
cook ten minutes, then pour all into an earthen dish, cover with a 
plate, and bake one hour. To be sliced and eaten cold. 

Cherry Pectoral (Ayer's). — Take four grains of acetate of mor- 
phia; two fluid drams of tincture of bloodroot; three fluid drams 
each of antimonial wine and wine of ipecacuanha, and three fluid 
ounces of syrup of wild cherry. Mix. 

Chewing Gum. — Take of prepared balsam of tolu, two ounces; 
white sugar, one ounce; oatmeal, three ounces; soften the gum in 
water bath and mix in the ingredients; then roll in finely powdered 
sugar or flour to form sticks to suit. 

Chickens — to fatten. — The birds must be shut up; the pen or cage 
must not be too large, and it should not be tight and close. For a 
dozen birds a coop three feet wide or deep, four feet long and two 
and a half feet high is large enough. The whole coop may properly 
be made of slats, except the roof. The floor should be so made as to 
allow the droppings of the birds to fall through. Birds that will 
agree peacably only should be cooped together in a fattening-pen. If 
one is cross and masterful, turn him or her out, and keep the fattening 
ones quiet. Give as much food as they will eat up clean, in a trough 



72 WITA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

or basket in front of the cage, and give water after the feed is eaten. 
As a change, give some sand or gravel, or powdered charcoal, once 
a day. Keep the coop out in an airy place, but not where cold winds 
will blow through it. Feed rather sparingly than otherwise the first 
two or three days; afterward give as much as they will cat. This 
continued for two weeks should give you good, fat fowls; if they are 
not fat something is wrong, and they should be let out. Fowls will 
fatten after two weeks' feeding, but they will not be so good to eat. 
Three weeks is long enough, if all is right. 

Chicken (Broiled). — Split the chicken open on the back and then 
flatten with a cleaver; lay in a dripping-pan with the inside of the 
chicken next to the pan; bake one hour and baste occasionally; when 
done make a gravy with the giblets and a little butter and brown 
flour. 

Chicken (Curried). — Cut a chicken into pieces, season and fry in 
butter. Slice an onion and fry in butter, add a teacupful of stock 
and tablcspoonful of curry powder mixed with a little flour and 
rubbed smooth with a little stock; salt; boil five minutes. 

Chicken Cholera — cure. — For chicken cholera mix a good supply 
of salts in the dough when feeding. Keep plenty of fresh water and 
a clean house for them. 

Chickens — to cure gapes in. — This very common and fatal com- 
plaint in chickens may readily be cured by giving them small pills of 
dough thoroughly impregnated with soft soap. 

Chickens (Young) — food for. — a writer in the Poultry Yard, who 
believes that chickens are often injured by corn meal, would not let 
them have corn in any form until they are three or four weeks old, 
unless it be a little scalded or cooked meal, fed occasionally; and the. 
principal food should be stale bread crumbled fine or moistened with 
milk, with wheat screenings (when they get old enough to eat), scald- 
ed oatmeal, and cottage cheese, made from sour milk. This is not a 
very expensive method of feeding, as the chickens, being so small, 
Avill not consume much of it daily, while the best results have invar- 
iably followed such a system of feeding and management. It is far 
better to go to a little extra expense than to stand the chance of los- 
ing a number of valuable birds. 

Chicken-Pox. — This is a harmless but an annoying disease. As 
it resembles modified small-pox, or varioloid, the doctor should be 
called upon to decide which it is. Keep the patient in the house, and 
other children away. 

Chicken Lice — to destroy. — The first signs of lice are with early 
setting hens. From their nest soon a whole house will be overrun 
Avith the pests. Chicks show the presence of lice very quickly, and 
lice arc certain death to them if they are not protected. Have all 
nests movable, and change the contents frequently. With sitting 
liens' nests be sure to have the nest clean and the box and surround- 
ings whitewashed before she is placed. Whitewash and the dust box 
are the surest preventives of lice. Put two or three coats of white- 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 73 

wash on every interior spot in the building; the lice harbor in the 
crevices of the rough sidings, and on the under side of the perches. 
Let the fowl house have a dust box. Mix hot ashes with the dust 
occasionally to dry it. Do all this early in the year, before spring 
laying and sitting. Kerosene and lard when applied is a sure cure, 
but they are too often dangerous in their effects. A little castor oil 
on the head and under the wings of sitting hens is very effective. 
Don't keep a brood hen in a little coop without adust wallow. If 
you want your fowls to be free from lice you must keep their habitation 
clean. The best way to do that is by occasional change of the nest 
contents and thorough whitewashing of the apartment. 

Chicken — for tea. — Boil a chicken (or chickens) in as little water as 
possible, until the meat falls from the bones. Chop the meat fine, 
and season with salt and pepper. Put into the bottom of a mold 
some slices of hard boiled eggs then a layer of the chopped chicken, 
another of ^%%,, then chicken, until the mold is nearly full. Boil down 
the water in which the chicken was cooked, with a large pinch of 
gelatine moss, until about a cup and a half full is left; season, and 
strain through a very coarse net and pour over the mould of chicken. 
Let it stand over night or all day near the ice. To be sliced down 
for supper, and garnished with celery-tops or parsley. 

Chilblains — to cure. — Wear boots which do not hurt the feet, and 
go without stockings. This is an almost certain cure, as we know 
from observation in many cases. The feet recover their tone of 
health slowly, but surely and permanently. The sweating of the 
feet caused by stockings, especially thick, woolen ones, and the re- 
tention of this sweat aggravates the disease, and so does the irrita- 
tion of the skin caused by the wool. It is remarkable how comforta- 
ble the feet are in boots when there are no socks around them. The 
lotions, salves, and ointments used for chilblains are of little use. 

Chilblains — remedies. — i. Glycerine, one ounce; carbolic acid, 
one-half a dram; mix and apply night and morning. If the suffering 
is severe, soak the feet every night in a tea made of white oak bark. 
This remedy is said to be infallible. 

2. Slice raw potatoes with the skins on, and sprinkle over them a 
little salt, and as soon as the liquid therefrom settles in the bottom of 
the dish, wash with it the chilblains. One application is all that is 
necessary. 

3. In the evening, before retiring, take salt and vinegar made as 
hot as can be borne on the parts affected; bathe with a small cloth, 
and do so until cured. 

4. An unfailing remedy for chilblains: A solution of thirty grains 
of permanganate of potassa in an ounce of pure water, to be applied 
thoroughly with brush or swab, or in the form of a poultice. 

5. Dissolve one ounce of white vitriol in a pint of water. Bathe 
the parts affected very often. 

Children's Diseases — treatment of. — In the case of a baby not 
yet being able to talk, it must cry when it is ill. The colic makes a 



74 WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD A'lVOW. 

baby cryloud, long and passionately, and shed tears, stopping for a 
moment and beginning again. 

If the chest is effected, it gives one sharp cry, breaking off immedi- 
ateh', as if crying hurt it. 

If the head is effected, it cries in sharp, piercing shrieks, with low 
moans and wails between. Or there may be quiet dozing, and start- 
ings between. 

It is easy enough to perceive, where a child is attacked by disease 
that there is some change taking place; for either its skin will be dry 
and hot, its appetite gone; it is stupidly sleepy, or fretful and crying; 
it is thirsty, or pale and languid, or in some way betrays that some- 
thing is wrong. When a child vomits, or has a diarrhoea, or is cos- 
tive and feverish, it is owing to some derangement, and needs atten- 
tion. But these various symptoms may continue for a day or two 
before the nature of the disease can be determined. A warm bath, 
warm drinks, etc., can do no harm, and may help to determine the 
case. On coming out of the bath, and being well rubbed with the 
hand, the skin will show symptoms of rash, if it is a skin disease 
which has commenced. By the appearance of the rash, the nature 
of the disease can be learned. Measles are in patches, dark red, and 
come out first about the face. If scarlet fever is impending, the skin 
will look a deep pink all over the body, though mostly so about the 
neck and face. Chicken-pox shows fever, but not so much running 
at the nose, and appearance of cold, as in measles, nor is there so 
much of a cough. Beside, the spots are smaller, and do not run 
much together, and are more diffused over the whole surface of the 
skin, and enlarge into little blisters in a day or two. 

Let the room where the child is sick be shad}', quiet, and cool. Be 
careful not to speak so suddenly as to startle the half-sleeping patient 
and handle it with the greatest tenderness when it is necessary to 
move it. If it is the lungs that suffer, have the little patient some- 
what elevated upon the pillows for easier breathing, and do everything 
to soothe and make it comfortable, so as not to have it cry, and to thus 
distress its inflamed lungs. If the child is very weak, do not move it 
too suddenly, as it may be startled into convulsions. In administering 
a bath, the greatest pains must be taken not to frighten the child. It 
should be put in so gradually, and so amused by something placed in 
the water on purpose as to forget its fear; keep up a good supply of 
fresh air, at a temperature of about sixty-six degrees Fahrenheit. If a 
hired nurse must be had, select if possible a woman of intelligence, 
gentle and loving disposition, kind and amiable manners, and of a 
most pacific, unruffled and even temper. If a being can be got pos- 
sessed of these angelic qualities, and we believe there are many such, 
you will be quite safe in intrusting to her care the management of 
your sick child, or yourself either, in case of sickness. She should 
not be under twenty-five or over fifty-five, as between these two 
ages she will, if healthy, be in her full strength and capacity. 

Children Teething — ice for. — The pain of teething may be almost 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 75 

done away, and the health of the child benefitted, by giving it fxne 
splinters of ice, picked off with a pin, to melt in its mouth. The frag- 
ment is so small that it is but a drop of warm water before it can be 
swallowed, and the child has all the coolness for its feverish gums 
without the slightest injury. The avidity with which the little things 
taste the cooling morsel, the instant quiet which succeeds hours of 
fretfulness, and the sleep which follows the relief, are the best wit- 
nesses to this magic remedy. Ice may be fed to a three months' 
child this way, each splinter being no larger than a common pin, for 
five or ten minutes, the result being that it has swallowed in that time 
a teaspoonful of warm water, which, so far from being a harm, it is 
good for it, and the process may be repeated hourly as often as the 
fretting fits from teething begin. 

Chili Sauce. — Twelve large ripe tomatoes, one large onion, four 
red peppers; chop all together fine; two cups of sugar, one table- 
spoonful of salt, one tablespoonful of vinegar, one teaspoonful each 
of ground allspice and cloves. Boil until quite thick, then bottle and 
seal. 

Chimney — to extinguish a fire in, — So many serious fires have been 
caused by chimneys catching fire, and not being quickly extinguished, 
that the following method of doing this should be made generally 
known: Throw some powdered brimstone on the fire in the grate, 
and then put a board or something in the front of the fire-place, to 
prevent the fumes descending into the room. The vapor of the brim- 
stone ascending the chimney, will then effectually extinguish the soot 
on fire. Should a fire break out in a - chimney, a wetted blanket 
should be nailed to the upper ends of the mantle-piece, so as to cover 
the opening entirely, when the fire will go out of itself. 

Chimney — to clean. — To clean a chimney, place a piece of zinc- 
on the live coals in the stove. The vapor produced by the zinc will 
carry off the soot by chemical decomposition. Those who have tried 
the process claim that it will work every time. 

Chintz — to wash so as to preserve its gloss and beauty. — Take 
two pounds of rice and boil it in two gallons of water till soft; when 
done, pour the whole into a tub, let it stand till about the warmth 
you in general use for colored linens; put the chintz in, and use the 
rice instead of soap; wash the chintz in this till the dirt appears to be 
out; then boil the same quantity as above, but strain the rice from 
the water, and mix it in warm water. Wash it in this till quite clean; 
afterward rinse it in water the rice was boiled in. This will answer 
the end of starch, and no wet will effect it, as it will be stiff while it is 
worn. If a gown, it must be taken to pieces, and when dried, hang 
it as smooth as possible; after dry, rub it with a -smooth stone, but 
use no iron. 

China — to mend. — China may be mended by a paste made of the 
white of ^^%, mixed with flour. The article so mended will not hold 
water, but for vases, lamp-shades, and similar purposes, answers a 
good purpose, and is handy. 



76 IVI/A T E VER Y ONE SHOULD KXO W. 

Chip Dirt — for fruit trees. — Many farmers do not know that they 
have a mine of weahh — a small one — in the very dooryard. Chip 
dirt is the very best material to mix with the soil in setting out young 
trees. It is full of the elements of plant food and retains moisture. 
If you are setting out a new orchard plow up and utilize the soil from 
the old wood-pile. 

Chloral — uses of — dangerous. — An experienced physician says that 
anybody who continually uses chloral as a sleeping draught is sure to 
be killed bv it in the long run, certain conditions of the physical nat- 
ure making ii a deadly poison. 

Chloride of Lime — a disinfectant. — This is very useful to counter- 
act disagreeable smells and as a disinfectant. It should be put into 
small earthen pans, and set where needed. Of course, it will require 
occasional renewing. 

This useful disinfectant should be kept in every house to purify a 
sick-room, and to remove all unpleasant smells. Tainted garments 
may be rendered harmless by sprinkling them with a weak solution 
of it; and a piece of sponge dipped in this solution and held to the 
nose will enable any one with comparative safety to enter a foul 
sewer. 

Chlorine Pastiles — for disinfecting the breath. — i. Dry chloride 
of lime, two drams; sugar, eight ounces; starch, one ounce; gum 
tragacanth, one dram; carmine, two grains. Form into small 
lozenges. 

2. Sugar flavored with vanilla, one ounce; powdered tragacanth, 
twenty grains; liquid chloride of soda sufficient to mix; add two 
drops of any essential oil. Form a paste and divide into lozenges of 
fifteen grains each. 

Chocolate Drops. — Scrape chocolate to powder, and add pounded 
sugar in the proportion of two ounces of chocolate to one pound of 
sugar; make it into a paste with clean water; put it into a stew-pan 
with a lip to it, not more than three-parts filled, and place it over a 
hot plate, stirring it with a spoon; when it almost boils, take it from 
the fire and continue to stir it, till it is of a proper consistence. Have 
ready a clean smooth tin plate, and on this drop the chocolate. It is 
a good plan to regulate the falling of the drops from the lip of the pan 
by means of a small piece of wire; when cold, remove the drops with 
a knife. If there is any danger of sticking, rub the tin plate lightly 
over with a rag that has been wet with sweet oil. 

Choking — ways to relieve. — i. Do not lose an instant. Force 
the mouth open with the handle of a knife or of a long spoon; push 
the thumb and fingers deep down into the throat beyond the root of 
the tongue, and feel for the foreign body. If the obstruction cannot 
be grasped, a hair-pin bent into a hook and guided by the left hand 
will often bring it out. If this fails, get some one to press against the 
front of the chest or support it against the edge of a table, and strike 
several hard, quick blows with the open hand on the back, between 



IVI/A T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO IV. 77 

the shoulder blades. Further treatment must be applied by a phy» 
sician, who should have been immediately sent for. 

2. To prevent choking, break an egg into a cup and give it to the 
person choking, to swallow. The white of the egg seems to catch 
around the obstacle and remove it. If one egg does not answer the 
purpose, try another. The white is all that is necessary. 

3. A smart blow with the flat of the hand on the back, just below 
the neck, will often relieve the windpipe. If it does not, send for the 

. doctor at once. 

4. Foreign bodies lodged in the throat can be removed by forcibly 
blowing into the ear. The plan is so easily tried and so harmless 
that we suggest its use. 

Cholera — rules, for the prevention of. — We urge the necessity, in 
all cases of cholera, of an instant recourse to medical aid, and also 
under every form and variety of indisposition; for all disorders are 
found to merge in the dominant disease. 

Let immediate relief be sought under disorder of the bowels es- 
pecially, however slight. The invasion of cholera may thus be read- 
ily prevented. 

Let every impurity, animal and vegetable, be quickly removed to a 
distance from the habitations, such as slaughter-houses, pig-sties, 
cess-pools, necessaries, and all other domestic nuisances. 

Let all uncovered drains be carefully and frequently cleansed. 

Let the grounds in and around the habitations be drained, so as ef- 
fectually to carry off moisture of every kind. 

Let all partitions be removed from within and without habitations, 
which unnecessarily impede ventilation. 

Let every room be daily thrown open for the admission of fresh 
air; this should be done about noon when the atmosphere is most 
likely to be dry. 

Let dry scrubbing be used in domestic cleaning in place of water 
cleaning. 

Let excessive fatigue, and exposure to damp and cold, especially 
during the night, be avoided. 

Let the use of cold drinks and acid liquors, especially under fatigue, 
be avoided, or when the body is heated. 

Let the use of cold acid fruits and vegetables be avoided. 

Let excess in the use of ardent and fermented liquors and tobacco 
be avoided. 

Let a poor diet, and the use of impure water in cooking, or for 
drinking, be avoided. 

Let the wearing of wet and insufficient clothes be avoided. 

Let a flannel or woolen belt be worn round the belly. 

Let personal cleanliness be carefully observed. 

Let every cause tending to depress the moral and physical energies 
be carefully avoided. Let exposure to extremes of heat and cold be 
avoided. 



78 IVHA T E VER V ONE SHOULD KNO W. 

Let crowding of persons within houses and apartments be avoided. 

Let sleeping in low or damp rooms be avoided. 

Let fires be kept up during the night in sleeping or adjoining apart- 
ments, the night being the period of most danger from attack, especi- 
ally under exposure to cold or damp. 

Let all bedding and clothing be daily exposed during winter and 
spring to the fire, and in summer to the heat of the sun. 

Let the dead be buried in places remote from the habitation of the 
living. By the timely adoption of simple means such as these, 
cholera or other epidemic will be made to lose its venom. 

Cholera Infantum — remedy for. — Toast a half slice of stale bread 
very brown, break in a goblet and fill with water; put in as much soda 
as you can hold on a three cent piece; let the little one drink a little 
at a time. If the stomach is very irritable, give only a teaspoonful at 
a time. In some cases, with the advice of a physician put in a tea- 
spoonful of paregoric in the gobletful. 

Cholera — Egyptian cure for. — Best Jamaica ginger root bruised, 
one ounce; cayenne, two teaspoonfuls; boil all in one quart of water to 
one-half pint, and add loaf sugar to form a thick syrup. Dose, one 
tablespoonful every fifteen minutes, until vomiting and purging ceases; 
them follow up with a blackberry tea. 

Cholera — Indian prescription for. — First dissolve gum camphor, 
one quarter ounce, in one and one-half ounce of alcohol; second, give a 
teaspoonful of spirits of hartshorn in a wine glass of water, and follow 
it every five minutes with fifteen drops of the camphor in a ieaspoonful 
of water, for three doses; then wait fifteen minutes, and commence 
again as before; and continue the camphor for thirty minutes, unless 
there is returning heat. Should this be the case, give one more dose, 
and the cure is effected; let them perspire freely (which the medicine 
is designed to cause), as upon this the life depends, but add no 
additional clothing. 

Cholera Tincture (Isthmus). — Tincture of rhubarb, cayenne, 
opium, and spirits of camphor, with essence of peppermint, equal parts 
of each, and each as strong as can be made. Dose, from five to thirty 
drops, or even to sixty, and repeat, until relief is obtained, every five 
to thirty minutes. 

Cholera Morbus — a certain cure. — The ingredients are: One 
glassful of West India rum, one glassful of molasses, one glassful of 
spring water, and three tablespoonfuls of ginger. Mix them together 
and take it. It is said to afford immediate relief. 

Cholera Remedy. — Spirits of wine, one ounce; spirits of lavender, 
one-quarter ounce; compound tincture of benzoin, half an ounce.; oil of 
origanum, one-quarter ounce; twenty drops on moist sugar. To be rub- 
bed outwardly also. 

Cholera Mixture. — Confection aromatic, one dram; prepared 
chalk, one dram; powdered gum arable, one dram; pimento-water, 
two ounces; pure water, four ounces; laudanum, forty drops. — Dose: 
A grown person to take two tablespoonfuls for the first dose, and one 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHOULD KNO W. 79 

tablespoonful after every motion. Dose for a child between five and 
ten years of age, one teaspoonful. 

Cholagogue (India). — Quinine, twenty grains; Peruvian bark, 
pulverized, one ounce; sulphuric acid, fifteen drops, or one scruple of 
tartaric acid is best; brandy, one gill; water to make one pint; dose, 
five teaspoonfuls every two hours, in the absence of fever; an excellent 
remedy. 

Chowder (Fish). — Fry a few slices of salt pork, dress and cut the 
fish in small pieces, pare and slice the potatoes and onions, then 
place them in the kettle, a layer of fish, then of the fried pork, pota- 
toes, onions, etc., seasoning each layer with salt and pepper. Stew 
over a slow fire thirty minutes. 

Chromes— to mount. — Take common bleached muslin, heavily 
starched is best, make a thick flour paste, cook till clear, then strain. 
Saturate the cloth with the paste, lay the chromo on the cloth face 
up, turn over and smooth out all the wrinkles and air-puffs. Have a 
stretch-frame prepared of the proper size made of three-eighths inch 
soft wood, mitered and well nailed. Lay the chromo on the frame — 
back on frame. Commence in center of frame and drive a tack on 
each side, drawing the chromo moderately tight. Then alternate 
from side to side, driving a tack on each side one and one-half inches 
from last tack, drawing the canvas gently, but not too tight, both 
sidewise and endwise of ttfe frame; this obviates the difficulty of 
puckering on the corners. The end is not so particular, only to draw 
quite tight. If it is not smooth when first finished, it will be all 
right when it dries. You can then varnish with best white varnish 
after it is dry. 

Cider Barrels — to cleanse.— Pour in lime water, and then insert 
a trace chain through the bung hole, remembering to fasten a strong 
cord on the chain so as to pull it out again. Shake the barrel until 
all the mold inside is rubbed off. Rinse with water, and finally pour 
in a little whisky. 

Cider (Sour) — to sweeten and keep. — To keep cider perfect, take 
a keg ^nd bore holes in the bottom of it; spread a piece of woolen 
cloth at the bottom; then fill with clean sand closely packed; draw 
your cider from a barrel just as fast as it will run through the sand; 
after this put in clean barrels which have had a piece of cotton or 
linen cloth two by seven inches dipped in melted sulphur and burned 
inside of them, thereby absorbing the sulphur fumes (this process v/ill 
also sweeten sour cider); then keep it in a cellar or room where there 
is no fire, and add half a pound of white mustard seed to each barrel. 
If cider is long made or sourijig when you get it, about one quart of 
hickory ashes, or a little more of other hard wood ashes, stirred into 
each barrel will sweeten and clarify it nearly equal to rectifying it as 
above; but if it is not rectified, it myst be racked off ^o get clear of 
the pomace, as with this in it, it will sour. Oil or whisky barrels are 
best to put cider in, or a half pint of sweet oil to a barrel, or a gallon 
of whisky to a barrel, pr both, may be added with decidedly good 



8o WHA T E VER Y ONE SIIO ULD KNO JV. 

effects; isinglass, four ounces to each barrel, helps to clarify and 
settle cider that is not to be rectified. 

Cider — to keep sweet. — Pure sweet cider that is arrested in the 
process of fermentation before it becomes acetic acid or even alcohol 
and with the carbonic acid gas worked out, is one of the most delight- 
ful beverages. When the saccharine matters by fermentation are 
being converted to alcohol, if a bent tube be inserted air tight mto 
the bung with the other end into a pail of water, to allow the car- 
bonic acid gas evolved to pass off without admitting any air into the 
barrel, a beverage will be obtained that is fit nectar for the gods. 

A handy way is to fill your cask nearly up to the wooden faucet 
when the cask is rolled so the bung is down. Get a common rubber 
tube and slip it over the end of the plug in the faucet, with the other 
end in the pail. Then turn the plug so the cider can have communi- 
cation with the pail. After the water ceases to bubble, bottle or store 
away. 

Cider — to keep. — To one pound of cider add two pounds of sugar; 
put up the cider in glass or stoneware; by no means in wood. After 
filling the vessels, save enough to keep them full and leave open and 
keep full until it quits working, then cork up. In three or four 
months it will be good wine, and the older the better. If at any time 
you wish fresh cider, take a half glass of said wine, add as much 
water and sweeten to suit taste, and the best judges will think it just 
from the press. 

Cider (Nectar). — One quart cider, one bottle soda water, one glass 
sherry, one small glass brandy, juice of half a lemon, peel of one- 
quarter of a lemon, sugar and nutmeg to taste. Flavor it with exr 
tract of pine-apple, strain, and ice it all well. 

Cinders in the Eye — to remove. — A small camel's-hair brush, 
dipped in water and passed over the ball of the eye on raising the 
lid. The operation requires no skill, takes bat a moment, and in- 
stantly removes any cinder or particle of dust or dirt, without inflam- 
ing the eye. 

Cisterns — to make ^vater tight. — Paint thickly on the inside with 
a mixture of eight parts melted glue and four of linseed oil, boiled 
with litharge. In forty-eight hours it will be so hard that the tank 
can be filled with water. 

Citron — to preserve. — Cut the citron in thin slices, pare off the 
outside rind and take out all the seeds, put in the preserve kettle with 
water enough to cover it; boil till it can be pierced easily with a fork, 
skim it out and strain the water, placing it back in the kettle; allow 
three-quarters of a pound of sugar to a pound of citron; dissolve the 
sugar in the liquor; cut three or four lemons into it and let it boil 
till it is as thick as required, then put in the citron and boil; when it 
is transparent then it is done; if boiled too long the citron will be 
tough. 

Citron Preserves. — Take of citron and sugar equal weight; put 
the citron in a kettle or stewpan, boil until tender, then put in a col- 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHOULD KNO JV. 8i 

andcr to drain. I often leave mine until morning- to drain well, then 
take this water, put it in your kettle with the sugar, and boil and 
skim \intil clear, then put in your citron, boil until well done; flavor 
Avith lemon if you like. This has been my plan for over thirteen 
years, and to my remembrance I have never had any sour. I also 
preserve watermelon rinds the same way. 

Clams — with cream. — Chop fifty small clams, not too fine, and 
season with pepper and salt. Put into a stewpan, butter the size of 
an egg, and when it bubbles, sprinkle in a teaspoonful of flour, which 
cook a few minutes; stir gradually into it the clam liquor, then the 
clams, which stew about two or three minutes, then add a cupful of 
boiling cream, and serve immediately. 

Cleaning^ Mixture. — To clean coat collars and to take out grease 
from floors or carpets, and to clean paint or white walls (kalsomined) 
take half a bar of washing soap, and a lump of saltpeter and sal soda 
each as large as a walnut; add two quarts boiling soft water, stir well 
and let it stand till cool, then add three ounces of ammonia, bottle 
and cork tight. Will keep good a year. It is best to bottle when 
lukewarm, and add the ammonia at any time. 

Cleaning Compound. — Mix one ounce of borax and one ounce of 
gum camphor with one quart of boiling water. When cool add one 
quart of alcohol; bottle and cork tightly. When wanted for use 
shake well and sponge the garments to be cleaned. This is an ex- 
cellent mixture for cleaning soiled black cashmere and woolen dresses, 
coat collars and black felt hat. 

Clinkers — to loosen. — Clinkers may be loosened from fire-bricks by 
throwing in the fire-box, when very hot, two or three quarts of oys- 
ter or clam shells, or a less quantity of salt, allowing the fire to go 
out, and then cleave off the clinkers. 

Clocks — to clean. — Take the movement of the clock to pieces. 
Brush the wheels and pinions thoroughly with a stiff, coarse brush; 
also the plates which the trains work. Clean the pivots well by turn- 
ing in a piece of cotton cloth held tightly between your thumb and 
finger. The pivot holes in the plates are generally cleansed by turn- 
ing a piece of wood into them, but I have always found a strip of 
cloth or a soft cord drawn tightly through them to act the best. If you 
use two cords, the first one slightly oiled, and the next dry, to clean 
the oil out, all the better. Do not use salt or acid to clean your clock 
— it can do no good, but may do a great deal of harm. Boiling the 
movement in water, as is the practice of some, is also foolishness. 

To Oil Properly. — Oil only, and very lightly, the pallets of the 
verge, the steel pin upon which the verge works, and the point where 
the loop of the verge wire works over the pendulum wire. Use none 
but the best watch oil. Though you might be working constantly at 
the clock-repairing business, a bottle costing you but twenty-five 
cents would last you two years at least. You can buy it at any watch- 
furnishing establishment. 

A Defect to Look After, — ^Always examine the pendulum wire at the 



82 ir//A T E VER Y ONE SHOULD KNO W. 

point where the loop of the verge wire works over it. You will gen- 
erally find a small notch, or at least a rough place worn there. 
Dress it out perfectly smooth, or your clock will not be likely to work 
well. Small as this defect may seem, it stops a large number of 
clocks. 

Closets (Damp) — to purify. Indaraip closets and cupboards gen- 
erating mildew, a tray full of quicklime will be found to absorb the 
moisture and render the air pure. Of course it is necessary to renev/ 
the lime from time to time as it becomes slacked. This rem- 
edy will be found useful in safes and strong-rooms, the damp air of 
which acts frequently most injuriously on the valuable deeds and 
documents contained therein. 

Clothes — to clean from grease and other stains. — Take one peck 
of new lime; pour over it as much water as will leave about two gal- 
lons of clear liquid after it has been well stirred and has settled. In 
about two hours pour off the clear liquid into another vessel; then 
add to it six ounces of pearlash, stir it well, and when settled, bottle 
it for use. With this liquid wash the clothes, using a coarse piece of 
sponge for the purpose. If the clothes are of very fine fabric and 
delicate color, the liquid must be diluted with clear soft water. 

Clothes-pin Apron. — A great help in hanging out clothes is an 
apron to put the pins in. Mine is sixteen inches long and eighteen 
inches wide, rounded at the corners. It is double, and at each side 
near the belt the outside piece is cut away and bound, making open- 
ings to put in the pins and take them out when hanging out the 
clothes. The apron is bound around firmly and will hold several 
dozens of pins. A belt fastens it about the waist, and with this on 
there is no need of stooping to pick up clothes-pins. In this apron 
may be kept a pair of cotton flannel mittens to wear when hanging 
out the clothes in cold weather. They are a great saving of the 
hands. One who has once had a pair of these mittens and one of 
these aprons will not willingly do without either of them. 

Cloth — to bleach. — In eight quarts of warm water put one pound 
of chloride of lime; stir with a stick a few minutes, then strain through 
a bag of coarse muslin, working it with the hand to dissolve thorough- 
ly. Add to this five bucketfuls of warm water, stir it well and put in 
the muslin. Let it remain in one hour, turning it over occasionally, 
that every part may get thoroughly bleached. When taken out, wash 
well in two waters to remove the lime,, rinse and dry. This quantity 
will bleach twenty-five yards of 5'ard-wide muslin. The muslin will 
bleach more evenly and quickly if it has been thoroughly wet and 
dried before bleaching. 

Clothes (White) — to -wash. — If you wish your white clothes to look 
clear and pure white, always have ready a kettle of boiling water and 
scald them thoroughly before putting them in the last rinse water. 
Clothes washed ever so clean will look dingy if soapy water is allowed 
to dry into them. Scalding removes the suds. Prints should be 
washed out a piece at a time in warm water, rinsed, and hung to dry 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO IV. 83 

immediately. But very few colors will bear soaking in hot soap- 
suds. If you want your flannels to full, wash them in hot water, rub 
well upon a board, using plenty of soap, and rinse in cold water. 
This rules never fails. 

Cloth — to make •water-proof. — To make cloth water-proof, dis- 
solve eight pounds oleic acid in six quarts of alcohol; add gradually 
twenty pounds sulphate of alumina, leave twenty-four hours to settle; 
carefully pour off the liquid and save the remaining deposit; filter 
t!"ij through flannel and press it into a cake. Dissolve one pound of 
this in fifteen to twenty gallons of water, strain, saturate the fabric 
thoroughly, remove and let dry. The fabric is water-proof without 
having its ventilating qualities destroyed. 

Cloth — to fasten on wooden surfaces. — The following is a Ger- 
man process for fastening cloth to the top of tables, desks, etc.: 
Make a mixture of two and a quarter pounds of wheat flour, two 
tablespoonfuls of powdered resin, and two tablespoonfuls of powdered 
alum; rub the mixture in a suitable vessel, with water, to a uniform, 
smooth paste; transfer this to a small kettle over a fire, and stir until 
the paste is perfectly homogeneous — without lumps. As soon as the 
mass has become so stiff that the stirrer remains upright in it, trans- 
fer it to another vessel and cover it up, so that no skin may form on 
its surface. This paste is applied in a very thin layer to the surface 
of the table; the cloth, etc., is then laid and pressed upon it, and 
smoothed with a roller. The ends are cut after drying. If leather is 
to be fastened on, this must first be wet. The paste is then applied, 
and the leather rubbed smooth with a cloth. 

Clothes — to wash (French way). — A system of washing clothes 
has lately been introduced in some French towns which is worthy of 
special mention. Its economy is so great as to greatly reduce the 
cost. This is the process: Two pounds of soap are reduced with 
a little water to a pulp, which having been slightly heated, is 
cooled in ten gallons of water, to which is added one spoonful of 
turpentine oil and two of ammonia; then the mixture is agitated. 
The water is kept at a temperature which may be borne by the hand. 
In this solution the white clothes are put and left there for two hours 
before washing them with soap, taking care in the meantime, to cover 
the tub. The solution may be warmed again and used once more, 
but it will be necessary to add half a spoonful of turpentme oil and 
another spoonful of ammonia. Once washed with soap, the clothes 
are put in hot water, and the blue is applied. 

This process, it is obvious, saves much labor, much time and fuel, 
while it gives the clothes a whiteness much superior to that obtained 
by any other process, and the destructive use of the wash-board is 
not necessary to clean the clothes from impurities. 

Clothing Renovator. — Soft water, one gallon; make a strong de- 
coction of logwood by boiling the extract with the water. Strain, 
"when cool; add two ounces gum arable in powder; bottle, cork well, 
and set aside for use; clean the coat well from grease and dirt and 



84 IVHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

apply the above liquid with a sponge evenly. Dilute to suit the 
color, and hang in the shade to dry; afterward brush the nap smooth 
and it will look like new. 

Cloth — to raise a nap on. — Clean the article well; soak it in cold 
water for half an hour; put it on a board, and rub the threadbare 
parts with a half-worn hatter's card filled with flocks, or with a teazle 
or a prickly thistle until a nap is raised; then lay the nap the right 
way with a hatter's brush, and hang up to dry. 

Clothes (Acid on) — to restore. — Dampen as soon as possible 
after exposure to the acid with spirits ammonia. It will destroy the 
effect immediately. 

Clothing (On Fire) — to extinguish. — Immediately throw a rug, a 
piece of carpet, a coat, or anything woolen, over the victim so as to 
smother the flames, and do not allow her or him to run away from you. 
In removing the clothes be careful not to pull off the skin; and if 
only slightly burned, apply lime water and linseed oil. If at all 
severe send for a physician. 

Coal — how to burn. — A writer in ih^ Journal of Health offers the 
following suggestions concerning the economical combustion of coal: 
A very common mistake is made and much fuel wasted in the man- 
ner of replenishing coal fires, both in furnaces and grates. They 
should be fed with a little coal at a time, and often; but servants, to 
save time and trouble, put on a great deal at once, the first result be- 
ing that almost all the heat is absorbed by the newly put-on coal, 
which does not give out heat until it has itself become red hot. 
Hence, for a while, the room is cold, but when it becomes fairly 
aglow the heat is insufferable. The time to replenish a coal fire is as 
soon as the coals begin to show ashes on their surface; then put on 
merely enough to show a layer of black coal covering the red. This 
will soon kindle, and as there is not much of it, an excess of heat will 
not be given out. Many almost put out the fire by stirring the grate 
as soon as fresh coal is put on, thus leaving all the heat in the ashes 
when it should be sent to the new supply of coal. The time to stir 
the fire is just when the new coal laid on is pretty well kindled. This 
method of managing a coal fire is troublesome, but it saves fuel, gives 
a more uniform heat, and prevents the discomfort of alterations of 
heat and cold above referred to. 

Cockroaches — -ways to destroy. — i. The disagreeable odor which 
the cockroach emits, and which soon permeates all places that it in- 
habits, proceeds from a dark colored fluid which it discharges from 
the mouth. The cockroach loves warmth and moisture, hence its 
populousness in kitchens where fire and water are almost ever pres- 
ent. It is a night prowler, and swarms out from its secret lairs on 
the departure of daylight. 

For the destruction of the cockroach we recommend a mixture 
containing a tablespoonful of red lead, the same amount of Indian 
meal, A^ith molasses enough to make a thick batter. Set this on a 
plate at night in places frequented by the insects and all that eat of it 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 85 

will be poisoned. Another preparation is composed of one teaspoon- 
ful of powdered arsenic, with a tablespoonful of mashed potato. 
Crumble this every night at bed-time where the insects will find it, 
and it is said to be an effectual poison. Great care should be exer- 
cised in the use of such dangerous agents. An innocent method of 
destroying cockroaches is to place a bowl or basin containing a little 
molasses on the floor at night. A bit of wood, resting one end on the 
floor and the other on the edge of the vessel, serves as a bridge to 
conduct the insects to the sweet deposit. Once in the trap its slip- 
pery sides prevent retreat, and thus cockroaches may be caught by 
the thousands. 

2. The following is said to be effectual: These vermin are easily 
destroyed, simply by cutting up green cucumbers at night, and plac- 
ing them about where roaches commit depredations. What is cut 
from the cucumbers in preparing them for the table answers the pur- 
pose as well, and three applications will destroy all the roaches in the 
house. Remove the peelings in the morning and renew them at 
night. 

3. Common red wafers, to be found at any stationers, will answer 
the purpose. The cockroaches eat them and die. Also, sprinkle 
powdered borax plentifully around where "they most do congre- 
gate," and renew it occasionally; in a short time not a roach will be 
seen. This is a safe and most effectual exterminator. 

4. Borax is a very good cockroach exterminator. Take some 
pieces of board, spread them over with molasses, only sufficient to 
make the borax when sprinkled upon it stick, and place the boards in 
their haunts. Gum camphor is a speedy remedy to clear the house 
of cockroaches. 

Codfish Balls. — Soak codfish cut in pieces about an hour in luke- 
warm water, remove skin and bones, pick to small pieces, return to 
stove in cold water. As soon as it begins to boil, change the water 
and bring to a boil again. Have ready potatoes boiled tender, well 
mashed and seasoned with butter. Mix thoroughly with the potatoes 
half the quantity of the codfish while both are still hot, form into flat 
thick cakes, or round balls, fry in hot lard or drippings, or dip in hot 
fat, like doughnuts. The addition of a beaten egg before making into 
balls renders them lighter. Cold potatoes may be used by reheating 
adding a little cream and butter, and mixing while hot 

Codfish Sauce. — Boil a piece of codfish, but do not overdo it. 
Pick out the flesh in flakes, put them in a sauce-pan with a piece of 
butter, pepper and salt to taste, some minced parsley, and the juice 
of a lemon, with a dust of Cayenne. Put it on the fire till quite hot, 
and serve. 

Coflfee — a disinfectant. — Numerous experiments with roasted cof- 
fee prove that it is the most powerful means, not only of rendering 
animal and vegetable effluvia innocuous, but of absolutely destroying 
them. A room in which meat in an advanced degree of decomposi- 
tion had been kept for some time, was instantly deprived of all smell 



86 WHA T E VER Y ONE SHOULD KNO W. 

on an open coffee-roaster being carried through it, containing a 
pound of coffee newly roasted. In another room, exposed to the 
effluvium occasioned by the clearing out of the dung-pit, so that sul- 
phureted hydrogen and ammonia in great quantities could be chem- 
ically detected, the stench was completely removed in half a minute 
on the employment of three ounces of fresh roasted coffee, while the 
other parts of the house were permanently cleared of the same smell 
by being simply traversed with the coffee roaster, although the 
cleansing of the dung-pit continued for several hours after. The best 
mode of using the coffee as a disinfectant is to dry the raw bean, 
pound it in a mortar, and then roast the powder on a moderately- 
heated iron plate, until it assumes a dark brown tint, then it is fit fer 
use. Then sprinkle it in sinks or cess-pools, or lay it on a plate in 
the room which you wish to have purified. Coffee acid or coffee oil 
acts more readily in minute quantities. 

Coffee — ways to make. — i. Take of unground coffee the usual 
quantity which supplies your family, and break the beans in a mortar 
This you will find to be quite as easy a task as grinding it in the usual 
way, as the beans are brittle and break readily. Have over the fire 
a kettle of perfectly fresh water, and let it boil. This is quite an es- 
sential feature. Put the coffee in a boiler, similar in shape to an 
oyster stew-pan, if you have it, but an ordinary coffee-pot will do, 
without the addition of any clarifying substance whatever, white of 
^Z%- ^SS shells, fish skin, or anything else, and* when the water first 
comes to a boil, pour it over the coffee and count two; then grasp the 
pan bv the handle and give it a vigorous shake. Let it stand where 
it will keep up to the boiling point (but never pass it) two minutes, 
and it is ready for use. You will find that it will pour out as clear 
and strong as brandy, and with a sparkling flavor and spirit, so to 
speak, that to all lovers of good coffee will be quite delightful. 

2. Coffee should be quickly and evenly roasted to a light-brown 
color. A few burned grains will impart a disagreeable flavor to it 
when made. Only a sufficiency for four or five days should be 
roasted at one time, and it should never be ground until required for 
use. 

The following is an excellent method of making coffee both in bar- 
racks and in the field. It is the favorite recipe at Delmonico's: 

Heat the grounds hot in a mess-pan, one tablespoonful for each 
person and one for the pot or kettle; then pour on boiling w^ater, one 
cupful for each spoonful of coffee. Cover tight and stand where it 
will keep hot, but not boil, for fifteen or twenty minutes. Then 
strain into the cups. The coffee should never be boiled. "Coffee 
boiled is coffee spoiled." 

3. In the first place, get.the very best coffee, equal parts of Mocha 
and Java. Keep this in a tightly-covered jar after roasting, and 
grind it fresh every morning. For three grown people use six 
tablespoonfuls of coffee, put it in a bowl, and break a fresh %^'g into 
it, shell and all. Mix till the coffee is w^et throughout, then put it 



P^^HA T. E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO IV. 87 

into a hot tin coffee-pot, turn on two quarts of boiling water, set it 
on the stove, and let it boil briskly for ten minutes; then pour in half 
a cupful of cold water, set it on the table a minute or two to settle, 
and then pour through a little wire strainer into the coffee-pot in- 
tended for the table. Use hot milk with the coffee. 

Coffee (a la Turk). — Coffee a la Turk is thus concocted: In a copper 
coffee-pot bring water to its first full boil. After having ground the 
coffee in an ordinary mill, screw it (the mill) to its finest possible ca- 
pacity and regrind the coffee, which becomes almost dust. To every 
cup of water add a heaping teaspoonful of this coffee dust, throw dry 
into the boiling water; take it a second from the fire, let come again 
to a boil, and repeat the ceremony three times, and if the coffee be 
true Mocha, it is a nectar fit for the gods. It must be sweetened to 
the taste while on the fire. 

Coffee — to preserve the aroma of. — Add the white of an &gg to 
every pound of coffee just before it is quite cold. Stir it thoroughly 
into the mass, so that every berry will be wet with it. 

Coffee (Cream) — whipped. — Whipped coffee cream for one who 
likes the coffee flavor is perfectly delicious as a last morsel at a for- 
mal dinner or an afternoon lunch. Take two ounces of coffee beans 
and roast them; while fresh and still warm put them in one pint of 
rich cream, which you have sweetened liberally with sugar. Let this 
stand for an hour; then strain it through a muslin cloth laid in a col- 
ander; dissolve a teaspoonful of gelatine in a little cold milk, and add 
to the cream; then whip it to a firm froth. The gelatine may be dis- 
solved in a little orange water, or lemon extract if you choose. 

Coffee (Rice) — to make. — Brown rice as you would the coffee 
bean, and then either grind or mash in the mortar; take half a cup 
of the ground rice and pour about a quart of boiling water over it and 
let it stand about ten or fifteen minutes; then strain and sweeten with 
loaf sugar, and season with boiled milk. This is particularly nice 
for children. 

Coffee-pots — to cleanse. — Musty coffee-pots and tea-pots may be 
cleaned and sweetened by putting a good quantity of wood ashes into 
them and filling up with cold water. Set on the stove to heat grad- 
ually till the water boils. Let it boil a short time, then set aside to 
cool, when the inside should be faithfully washed and scrubbed in 
hot soap-suds, using a small brush that every spot may be reached, 
then scald two or three times and wipe till well dried. It must be a 
desperate case if the vessels are not found perfectly sweet and clean, 
if this advice is strictly followed. Pots and pans or plates that have 
been used for baking and grown rancid may be cleansed in the same 
way. Put the plates into a pan with wood ashes and cold water, and 
proceed as above stated. If no wood ashes can be had, take soda. 
If cooks would clean their pie-plates and baking dishes after this 
fashion after using, they would keep sweet all the time. 

Cold — simple remedies for. — Simple remedies will usually remove 
a cold, if taken promptly, before the congestion has produced serious 



88 IV//A T E VER Y OXE SHOULD KNO W. 

disorganization. When struck with a sense of chilliness, fifteen to 
thirty drops of aromatic spirits of ammonia in half a tumbler of water 
will often start a uniform circulation all through the body, as this 
quickly enters the whole blood and is stimulating. Soaking the feet 
in warm water, gradually adding warmer water as long as it can be 
borne, draws off the blood from all the rest of the body, and often 
relieves congestion in any local part. Smart friction upon any part 
or the whole of the skin surface, or a uniform surface sweating, pro- 
duces like results. But in these cases, special care must be taken to 
prevent after-chilling of the feet, or any other part. After the feet 
heating, wipe dry quickly and cover them v.-armly. 

The best remedy we have found for a recent cold is a moderate 
movement of the bowels with castor oil, or calcined magnesia, or 
other mild cathartic. This produces a flow of fluid, drawn from the 
blood to the alimentary canal, and thus reduces the pressure upon 
any one congested point, just as drawing off part of the water from a 
flooded pond relieves pressure upon a weakened dam or embank- 
ment. This is to be followed by keeping the body warm and com- 
fortable, and toning it up with good food, or a simple tonic like 
quinine. 

Cold — to cure. — Put a large teacupful of linseed, with a quarter of 
a pound of sun raisins and two ounces of stick licorice into two 
quarts of soft water, and let it simmer over a slow fire till reduced to 
one quart; add to it a quarter pound of pounded sugar candy, a table^ 
spoonful of old rum, and a tablespoonful of the best white-wine vinegar 
or lemon-juice. The rum and vinegar should be added as the decoction 
is taken; for, if they are put in at first, the whole soon becomes flat 
and less efficacious. The dose is half a pint, made warm, on going 
to bed; and a little may be taken whenever the cough is troublesome. 
The worst cold is generally cured by this remedy in two or three 
days; and, if taken in time, it is considered infallible. 

Cold on the Chest. — A flannel dipped in boiling water and 
sprinkled with turpentine laid on the chest as quickly as possible, will 
relieve the most severe cold or hoarseness. 

Cold in the Head — remedy for. — When one has a bad cold and 
the nose is closed up so that he cannot breathe through it, relief may 
be found instantly by putting a little camphor and water in the center 
of the hand and snuffing it up the nose. It will be found a great relief. 
Dr. Pollion, of France, says that cold in the head can be cured by 
inhaling hartshorn. The inhalation by the nose should be seven or 
eight times in five minutes. 

Cold — to relieve. — When you get chilly all over and away into your 
bones, and begin to sniffle and almost struggle for your breath, just 
begin in time and your tribulations need not last very long. Get some 
powdered borax and snuff the dry powder up your nostrils. Get your 
camphor bottle, smell it frequently, pour some on your handkerchief, 
and wipe your nose with it whenever needed. Your nose will not get 
sore, and you will soon wonder what's become of your cold. Begin 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 89 

this treatment in the forenoon and keep on at intervals until you go 
to bed, and you will sleep as well as you ever did. 

Cold — remedies for.— i. Boil two ounces of flaxseed in one quart 
of water; strain, and add two ounces of rock candy, one-half pint of 
honey, juice of three lemons; mix, and let all boil well; let cool, and 
bottle. Dose, one cupful on going to bed, one-half cupful before 
meals. The hotter you drink it the better. 

2. When one feels the approach of a severe cold, he may often find 
relief by using composition tea. The following is the recipe for the 
powder. Take one-half ounce of red pepper, one-half ounce of 
cloves, one-half ounce of cinnamon, one-half pound of bay-berry bark, 
and one-half pound of ginger. The ingredients should all be ground 
and thoroughly mixed. Put in wide-mouthed bottles and cork tight. 
When needed, put a teaspoonful of the powder in a bowl and fill it 
with boiling water. Milk and sugar make it very palatable. 

3. Lemonade with loaf sugar, used freely, and taken as hot as can 
be swallowed comfortably, on going to bed is excellent for a cold. 
Lemons should be used freely, and sugar also, and you should not go 
into the cold after taking it but cover warm in bed. Lemon juice with 
sugar should be used freely at all times while the cold remains. There 
is nothing better. 

Cold Feet — ways to relieve. — i. People who write or sew all 
day, or rather those who take but little exercise, may warm their cold 
feet without going to the fire. All that is necessary is to stand erect 
and very gradually to lift one's self up upon the tips of his toes, so as 
to put all the tendons of the foot at full strain. This is not to hop or 
jump up and down, but simply to rise — the slower the better — upon 
tiptoe, and to remain standing on the points of the toes as long as 
possible, then gradually coming to the natural position. Repeat this 
several times, and, by the amount of work the tips of the toes are 
made to do, in sustaining the body's weight, a sufficient and lively 
circulation is set up. Even the half-frozen car-driver can carry this 
plan out. It is one rule of the " Swedish movement " system, and, 
as motion warmth is much better than fire warming, persons who suf- 
fer with cold feet at night can try this plan just befoi'e retiring to 
rest. 

2. A very valuable recipe for a foot-bath for any one troubled with 
cold feet: One pound prickly ash bark, a quarter of a pound of 
white mustard, and a quarter of a pound of pepper. Boil in one gal- 
lon of water, strain and bottle and keep cool. Use a teacupful of 
this with two quarts of water for a foot-bath at bed-time. 

3. The only sure and efficient way to warm cold feet is to dip them 
in cold water, and then rub them dry briskly with a coarse towel. 

Cold Slaw — delicious. — Do not mash the cabbage, or the dressing- 
will be poor and thin. Cut fine, and seasoning with salt and pepper, 
put in a crockery bowl or dish. Rub well together a teaspoonful of 
flour, and butter the size of a walnut, pour on it two tablespoonfuls 
of boiling water, and stir smoothly on the stove; push back so it will 



90 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

keep hot, but not boil, and add two teaspoonfuls of vinegar; beat 
light the yolks of two eggs, a teaspoonful of sugar, half a teaspoonful 
of mustard, and two tablespoonfuls of cream, sour or sweet; pour the 
hot mixture on this, beat well, and replacing on the stove, let it come 
to a boil, and pour hot on the cabbage. 

Cold — to restore animation. — The restoring of animation after in- 
tense cold is a most painful sensation. By no means allow the pa- 
tient to come near the fire. Rub the body with snow, ice, or cold 
water, and restore warmth to it by slow degrees. A little brandy, or 
warm brandy and water, should be administered. 

Colic — remedies for. — i. For the violent internal agony termed 
colic, take a teaspoonful of salt in a pint of water; drink and go to 
bed. It is one of the speediest remedies known. It will revive a 
person who seems almost dead from a heavy fall. 

2. Phares' method of treating colic consists in inversion — simply in 
turning the patient upside down. Colic of several days' duration has 
been relieved by this means in a few minutes. 

3. Dr. Tepliashin has recommended a thin stream of cold water 
from a teapot lifted from one to one and a half feet from the abdo- 
men, in cases of colic. He has seen it relieve pain when opium and 
morphia had failed. 

4. A loaf of bread, hot from the oven, broken in two, and half of 
it placed upon the bowels, and the other half opposite it upon the 
back, will relieve colic from whatever cause almost immediately. 

Collodion — uses of. — This is gun-cotton dissolved in ether. It is 
very useful for many purposes, especially is it useful in photography. 
Those who take pleasure in striking cuttings of tender plants in Wal- 
tonian cases, or under small glasses in the house will find it of great 
assistance in the case of all soft-wooded plants to touch the wound at 
the lowest joint of the cutting which enters the ground with a camel- 
hair brush dipped in collodion. This will materially hasten the for- 
mation of the callous, which is necessary before any roots can be 
formed. 

Color — to restore. — When the color on a fabric has been destroyed 
by acid, ammonia neutralizes the same, after which the application of 
chloroform will restore the original color. 

Color Blindness. — This malady is incurable, if congenital. When 
not inherited an education of the sight will remove it. 

Coloring Recipes. — In using the following recipes remember that 
the goods should always be wet in hot soapsuds before they are put 
into the dye. Be very careful to have the materials thoroughly dis- 
solved and keep the dye hot, constantly stirring the goods, lifting 
them up to the air and turning them over: 

Brown. — For five pounds of goods allow one pound of catchu and 
two ounces of alum, dissolved in sufficient hot water to wet the goods. 
Put this in a brass kettle or tin boiler on the stove, and when it is 
boiling hot put in the goods and remove it from the stove. Have 
ready four ounces of bi-chromate of potash dissolved in hot water in 



WHAT E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 91 

a wooden pail. Drain the goods from the catchu and dip them into 
the bi-chromate of potash, then back into the catchu again. Proceed 
in this way, dipping into each alternately until the required shade 
is produced. This colors a nice brown on cotton, woolen, or silk. 

Blue (on cotton). — Dissolve four ounces of copperas in three or 
four gallons of water. Soak the goods thoroughy in this, and then 
drain and transfer to a solution of two ounces of prussiate of pota.'^h 
in the same quantity of water. Lift the goods from this and put them 
to drain, then add to the prussiate of potash solution one-half ounce 
of oil of vitriol, being careful to pour in a few drops only at a time; 
stir thoroughly return the goods, and as soon as of the desired shade 
rinse them in clear water and dry. This will color five pounds. 

Yellow (on cotton). — For five pounds of goods, dissolve one 
pound of sugar of lead in enough water to thoroughly saturate the 
goods, and one-half pound of bi-chromate of potash in the same 
quantity of water in a separate vessel. Dip the goods well, and drain 
in each alternately until the desired shade is secured, then rinse and 
dry. If an orange is desired, dip the yellow rags into strong, hot 
lime water before rinsing. 

Green (on cotton). — First color blue, and then proceed as in col- 
oring yellow. 

Turkey Red (on cotton). — For four pounds of cloth, take one 
pound of sumac in enough soft water to cover the cloth in a tub, soak 
over night, wring out and rinse in soft water. Take two ounces of 
muriate of tin in clear soft water, put in the cloth and let it remain 
fifteen minutes. Put three pounds of bur wood in cold soft water, in 
a boiler, on a stove, and nearly boil, then partly cool, then put in the 
cloth and boil one hour. Take out the cloth and add to the water in 
the boiler one ounce of oil of vitriol, put in the cloth and boil fifteen 
minutes. Rinse in cold water. 

Dark Brown. — For dark brown, four ounces of blue vitriol, two 
pounds of cutch, and six ounces of bi-chromate of potash. This is for 
ten pounds of cloth. Put the cutch in an iron kettle, in cold water 
enough to cover the cloth, heat until dissolved, dissolve the vitriol, 
and add it to the dye, put in the cloth and scald it an hour or more. 
Wring it from the dye, dissolve the bi-chromate of potash in boiling 
water in brass, and put in the cloth for fifteen minutes. 

Canary (on cotton). — Take one-half pound of sugar of lead, and 
dissolve it in hot water. Dissolve one-fourth pound of bi-chromate of 
potash in cold water in a wooden vessel. Dip the goods first in the 
lead water, then in the potash, so continuing until the color suits. 
This quantity will color five pounds of rags. 

Cologne Water, — Alcohol, one gallon; add oil of cloves, lemon, 
nutmeg, and bergamot, each one dram; oil neroli, three and a half 
drams; seven drops of oil of rosemary, lavender and cassia; half a 
pint of spirits of nitre, half a pint of elder flower water. Let it stand 
a day or two, then take a colander and at the bottom lay a piece of 



92 WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

white cloth, and fill it up, one-fourth of white sand, and filter through 
it. 

Colts — care of. — Young colts should be well fed and cared for the 
first winter; provide a warm stall for them, with plenty of litter, and 
give them a good brushing down once every day. A quart of oats, 
daily, will be needed, and some bright, clean, sweet hay. Cut feed 
is not suitable for young colts, whose digestion should not be over- 
taxed by food packed solidly in the stomach; feed light and fre- 
quently. 

Comfortables — to renovate. — After washing and thoroughly dry- 
ing bed-quilts, fold and roll them tight, then give them a beating with 
the rolling-pin to liven up the batting, and make them soft and new. 

Composition for Boots and Shoes — (Waterproof). — Beeswax, two 
ounces; beef suet, four ounces; resin, one t)unce; neatsfoot oil, two 
ounces; lampblack, one ounce. Melt tt)gether. 

Composition — for driving out rats, etc. — Keep on hand a quan- 
tity of chloride of lime. The whole secret consists in scattering it 
dry all around their haunts and into their holes, and they will leave 
at once, or a liberal decoction of coal tar placed in the entrance of 
their holes will do as well. 

Compost — materials for. — In several of the Slates a compost heap 
mav be made of muck or earth for a basis; to this may be added 
leaves, cotton-seed, ashes, gypsum, night-soil, stable manure, trash 
from the fields, except weeds in seed, and all the slops from the 
houses and cabins. If desired, bone-dust may be added, but the fine 
artificial fertilizers will be better, if used by themselves. 

Composition Powder (Thompson's). — Bay berry bark, two pounds; 
hemlock bark, one pound; ginger root, one pound; Cayenne pepper, 
two ounces; cloves, two ounces; all finely pulverized and well mixed. 
Dose, one-half teaspoonful of it and a spoonful of sugar; put them into 
a tea-cup and pour it half full of boiling water; let it stand a few 
minutes, and fill the cup with milk and drink freely. If no milk is to 
be obtained, fill up the cup with hot water. 

Consumption Cure. — The following is said to be an effectual rem- 
edy, and will in time completely cure the disorder. Live temperateh', 
avoid spiritiious liquor, wear fiannel next the skin, and take every 
morning half a pint of new milk mixed with a wineglassful of the ex- 
pressed juice of green horehound. One who has tried it says: "Four 
weeks' use of the horehound and milk relieved the pains in my breast, 
gave me ability to breathe deep, long and free, strcngthenetl and har- 
monized my voice, and restored me to a better state of health than I 
had enjoyed for years." 

Consumption — remedy for. — Mix together sixteen ounces of liquid 
tar and one lluid ounce of liquor of potassa, boil them for a few min- 
utes in the open air, then let it simmer in an iron vessel over a spirit 
or other lamp in the chamber of the patient. This may at first ex- 
cite a disposition to cough, but in a short time it allays it, and re- 
moves any tendency to it. 



WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD A'NOW, 93 

Convulsions. — Dr. Williamson reports an interesting and remark- 
able case in which he saved the life of an infant in convulsions by the 
use of chloroform. He commenced the use of it at nine o'clock one 
evening, at which period the child was rapidly sinking, numerous 
remedies having been already tried without effect. He dropped half 
a dram of chloroform into a thin muslin handkerchief, and held it 
about an inch from the infant's face. In about two minutes the con- 
vulsions gave way. and the child fell into a sleep. By slightly re- 
leasing the child from the influence of the chloroform, he was able to 
administer food by which the child was nourished and strengthened. 
The chloroform was continually administered in the manner de- 
scribed, from Friday evening at nine o'clock until Monday morning 
at nine. This treatment lasted sixty hours, and sixteen ounces of 
chloroform were used. Dr. Williamson says he has no doubt that 
the chloroform was instrumental in saving the infant's life; and that 
no injurious effects, however trivial, from the treatment adopted, 
have subsequently appeared. 

Cooking^ Hints. — Cooking needs an intelligent, cultivated mind to 
guide the hands Quite as much as painting and music. It is one thing 
to prepare food so carefully that it shall look inviting and be nourish- 
ing and digestible; quite another to mix a few ingredients, place them 
in the oven, or over the stove, which is either too hot or too cold 
oftentimes, without any interest as to the result. Take one or two 
common dishes as cooked by ordinary servants, and compare them 
with what they should be; for instance, that much abused dish, 
" hash." No wonder, as it is brought to the table too often. The 
odds and ends of meat, left over from many meals, are picked up; 
some are fresh and some dry, some with tough gristle on, and all 
chopped together with potatoes, the latter perhaps just cooked and 
hot, which spoils all hashes. It is put into a cold spider, with fat of 
some kind, and moistened with water, sometimes too much and 
sometimes too little. When hot it is sent to the table. The real, ap- 
petizing hash is something very different and a nice breakfast dish. 
Water in which meat of any kind has been boiled should be set away 
to cool, the fat removed and the broth saved for soups, stews and 
hashes. All gravies should be saved and treated in the same way, 
and no fat at all left in them. A jar of extract of beef should be in 
every house, and if there is neither of the above on hand, a quarter 
of a teaspoonful of the extract in a half cup of hot water will moisten 
and flavor the hash, and add very much to its richness. More should 
be used if the quantity of hash needed is large. Corned beef is al- 
ways best, but the hash is good when made of cold roast beef, mut- 
ton, or fowls. A roast beef bone will often have on it meat enough 
for hash, when there is not enough for the table in any other form. 
It should be boiled in a very little water, and the water saved to 
moisten it, until the meat loosens from the bones, then chopped with 
twice the amount of cold boiled potatoes, seasoned with salt and 
pepper and moistened before putting on the fire. The spider with a 



94 ^VHA T E VER Y ONE SHOULD KNO W. 

little butter or beef-dripping in it, should be boiling hot, the hash put 
on and covered until a light brown crust has formed; then turned 
over on the platter and served. 

The odor of cabbage when boiling may be remedied almost entirely 
by placing a lump of charcoal in the pot with the cabbage. In boil- 
ing greens a lump of dough the size of a hen's egg tied in a clean 
cloth and placed to boil with the greens will absorb all offensive 
odor. 

Copartnerships. — Partnerships may be either general or special. 
In general partnerships money invested ceases to be individual prop- 
erty. Each member is made personally liable for the whole amount 
of debts incurred by the company. The company is liable for all 
contracts or obligations made by individual members. 

Special partners are not liable beyond the amount contributed. 

A person may become a partner by allowing people generally to 
presume that he is one, as, by having his name on the sign, or par- 
cels, or in the bills used in the business. 

A share or specific interest in the profits or loss of a business, as 
remuneration for labor, may involve one in the liability of a partner. 

In case of bankruptcy, the joint estate is first applied to the pay- 
ment of partnership debts, the surplus only going to the creditors of 
the individual estate. 

A dissolution of partnership may take place under express stipula- 
tions in the articles of agreement, by mutual consent, by the death or 
insanity of one of the firm, by award of arbitrators, or by court of 
equity in cases of misconduct of somfe member of the firm. 

In case of death, the surviving partners must account to the repre- 
sentatives of the deceased. 

Copying Paper — to make. — To make black paper, lampblack 
mixed with cold lard; red paper. Venetian red mixed withlard; green 
paper, chromo green mixed with lard; blue paper, prussian blue mixed 
with lard. The above ingredients to be mixed to the consistency of 
thick paste, and to be applied to the paper with a rag, then take a 
flannel rag and rub till all color ceases coming off. Cut your sheets 
four inches wide, and six inches long, put four sheets together, one 
of each color, and sell for twenty-five cents per package. The first 
cost will not be over three cents. Directions for writing: Lay down 
your paper upon which )'ou wish to write; then lay on the copying 
paper, and over this lay any scrap of paper you choose; then take 
any hard pointed substance and write as you would with a pen. 

Coral — to clean. — Soak it in soda and water for some hours. Then 
make a lather of soap, and with a soft hair-brush rub the coral lightly, 
letting the brush enter all the interstices. Pour off the water and re- 
plenish it with clean constantly, and then let the coral dry in the 
sun. 

Cordial (Blackberry). — Let the fruit simmer awhile and then press 
out juice; to each pint of the same, put nearly equal quantities of while 
sugar; boil and skim, and when a thick jelly, put in bottles, filling 



WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 95 

half-way; when cold, fill up with good whisky or French brandy. It 
tastes as if highly spiced, and is splendid for medicinal purposes. 

Cordial (Godfrey's). — Sassafras, six ounces; seeds or coriander, 
caraway, and anise, of each one ounce; infuse in six pints of water, 
simmer the mixture till reduced to four pints, then add six pounds of 
molasses; boil a few minutes; when cold add three fluid ounces of 
tincture of opium. For children teething. 

Cordial (Neutralizing). — Take of powdered rhubarb, bi-carbonate 
potash, powdered peppermint leaves, each three ounces; oil of cinna- 
mon, oil of erigeron, each two drams; water, four pints; alcohol, 
ninety-five per cent., eight ounces; sugar, thirty-two ounces; infuse 
the powders in the boiling water for a half-hour, and express and 
strain; then dissolve the sugar in the liquor by means of heat; while 
the mixture is cooling, add the essential oils dissolved in the alcohol. 
Dose, one or two teaspoonfuls every three hours, or oftener, as may 
be required, in diarrhoea, dysentery, and the summer complaints of 
children, etc. 

Cordial (Peppermint). — Good whisky, ten gallons; water, ten 
gallons; white sugar, ten pounds; oil peppermint, one ounce, in one 
pint alcohol, one pound flour well worked in with the fluid, one-half 
pound burnt sugar to color. Mix and let it stand one week before 
using. Other oil in place of peppermint, and you have any flavor 
desired. 

Corns — treated with salicylic acid. — Dr. Traill Green speaks 
highly of the results obtained in the treatment of hard and soft corns 
with salicylic acid. He has adopted a formula recommended by Dr. 
Gezou, which is as follows: Salicylic acid, thirty parts; extract of 
cannabis indica, five parts; collodion, two hundred and forty parts. 
The collodion fixes the acid to the part and protects it from friction; 
the cannabis indica acts as an anodyne, and the acid reduces and 
loosens the corn so that it comes off in four or five days. The reme- 
dy is applied with a camel's-hair pencil, and if the corn is not well 
cured, the application may be repeated. In four or five days the pa- 
tient should use a warm foot bath and rub off the collodion. If any 
portion of the corn remains, the acid should be applied again, and the 
treatment continued until the whole of the corn has disappeared. 

Corns — on the bottom of the foot. — Corns, wherever they occur, 
are generally due to unequal pressure, or to the rubbing of the spot 
by the shoe or boot. As a rule, if the cause is removed, a cure will 
be made. Use an in-sole of leather, or of pasteboard, cutting in it a 
hole large enough to receive the corn. If the sole is thick enough to 
prevent all pressure upon the corn, it will probably get well. 

Corns — treatment of. — i. Corns are a thickened state of the 
scarf-skin, caused by pressure or friction. The part of the skin acted 
upon becomes hard, and presses upon the sensitive skin within, 
which, endeavoring to relieve itself, produces an additional quantity 
of scarf-skin. Treatment: Soak the feet in warm water, pare the 
top of the corn, and apply one drop of the following solvents: i. 



96 WIIA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

Lunar caustic. * Moisten the corn and rub it with the caustic. 2. 
Nitric acid, applied with a rod or stick. 3. Strong solution of sub- 
carbonate of potash. The corn is gradually eaten away and disap- 
pears. As corns are the result of friction, they may be prevented or 
driven away at an early stage by anointing them every night and 
morning with sweet oil, on the same principle that lubrication is ap- 
plied to axle-trees, etc., to prevent friction injuring them. 

2. Soak the feet well in warm water, pare off as much of the corn 
as can be done without pain, and bind up the part with a piece of 
linen or muslin, thoroughly saturated with sperm oil, or, what is bet- 
ter, the oil from herring or mackerel. After three or four days the 
dressing may be found of a soft and healthy texture, and less liable to 
the formation of a new corn than before. We have obtained this 
recipe from a reliable source which we cannot well doubt. 

3. A small piece of sal ammoniac dissolved in two tablespoonfuls 
of spirits of wine, and the same quantity of water. Saturate a small 
piece of sponge or linen rag, and place it between the toes, changing 
it twice a day. This will cause the skin to harden, and the corn may 
be easily extricated. 

4. Soak the feet well in hot water before going to bed, then pare 
down the corn, and, after having just moistened it, rub a little lunar 
caustic on the corn and just around the edge, till it turns light gray. 
By the next morning it will be black, and when the burnt skin peels 
oft it will leave no vestige of the corn underneath. Of course, the 
corn is liable to return, but not for some length of time. Or, scrape 
a bit of common chalk, and put a pinch of the powder on the corn at 
night, binding a piece of linen round. Repeat this for a few days, 
when the corn will come off in little scales. 

5. For soft corns dip a piece of linen cloth in turpentine and wrap 
it around the toe on which the corn is situated, night and morning. 
The relief will be immediate, and, after a few days, the corn will dis- 
appear. If corns are soaked in soda and water they will become 
softened and may be easily removed. 

6. Boil a potato in its skin, and after it is boiled take the skin and 
put the inside of it to the corn, and leave it on for about twelve hours; 
at the end of that period the corn will be nearly cured. 

7. Take quarter cup of strong vinegar, crumb finely in it some 
bread. Let stand half an hour, or until it softens into a good poul- 
tice. Then apply, on retiring at night. In the morning the soreness 
will be gone and the corn can be picked out. If the corn is a very 
obstinate one, it may require two or more applications to effect a 
cure. 

Corn Plasters. — In a piece of card, cut a round hole the size of the 
central portion of the corn; lay the card on a piece of adhesive piaster, 
and warm the spot of plaster exposed by the hole in the card, by hold- 
ing a hot iron near it for a second or two; then remove the card and 
sprinkle some finely powdered nitrate of silver on the warm spot of 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 97 

the plaster. When cold, shake off the loose powder, and apply to the 
com. Two or three applications seldom fail to cure. 

Corn-cribs (Rat-Proof). — Take posts ten or eleven feet long and 
eight inches square; mortise two feet from one end; for end-sills, two- 
inch mortise with tusk. Taper posts from sill to the end, by hewing 
off inside until the end is reduced to four inches diameter; make 
smooth with the draw-knife, and nail on tin smooth half way to the 
end, below the sill. Let sills be eight inches square, also end-tie them 
and the rafter-plates strong with moderate inter-ties. Brace well, and 
lath up and down with three-quarter-inch lath; dove-tail or counter- 
sink joints crosswise; lay the floor, and board up the ends with un- 
grooved boards; let each bin be twelve feet long, six feet wide at the 
sill, and seven and one-half feet at plate; and, if full to peak, it will 
hold two hundred and fifty bushels. If preferred, lay the floor with 
lath or narrow boards, with room for ventilation. Each post should 
stand on stone, and be about three inches from the ground, and each 
stone have a foundation two feet square and below the frost. 

Corn — to prevent being destroyed. — To prevent the corn being 
destroyed or eaten by chickens, birds, or insects, before it grows 
through the surface of the soil, prepare the seed before planting by 
sprinkling a sufficient portion of coal tar, procured at the gas manu- 
factory, through it, stirring so that a portion will adhere to each 
grain; then mix among the corn some ground plaster of Paris, which 
will prevent the tar from sticking to the fingers of those who drop the 
corn, and vegetation will be promoted thereby. The tar and plaster 
will not injure the corn so as to prevent its growing, by being kept 
some days after it is so mixed together. 

Corn, Beans, etc. — to can. — After stripping off the husks and 
picking off the silk, slice off carefully about half or two-thirds of the 
corn, with a sharp knife; then, with the back of the blade, pressor 
scrape off that part of the kernels left on the cob. This prevents cut- 
ting of the cob. Fill the can about one-third, and with the small end 
of a potato masher, or other stick, gently pack it down; put in more 
corn and pack again, and continue until the can is full to the very 
top. Put on the rubber, and screw the top on very tight. Put some 
cloth, hay or straw in the bottotn of the wash boiler and on it set (or 
lay) the filled cans. Fill the boiler with cold water, being careful to 
cover the cans with it; set over the fire, and boil for three hours or 
more. Do not fear that the cans will burst, even if very tightly 
screwed down. When you take them out, try if it is possible to screw 
the cover on more securely. After the jars are cool, wrap each one 
in paper, and set away in the dark. This is essential. This process 
succeeds perfectly, absolutely without a failure. Succotash is put up 
in the same way, and so are green beans and string beans. Peas you 
cannot pack — shake down very closely — put on rubbers, screw on 
cover, and boil in the same manner as directed for the corn. They 
will shrink in the can — corn will not if packed hard. 

Com^^to can in glass jars. — Take the best sweet com for table 



98 WIIA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

use; when tender, cut from the cob before cooking; put in glass jars, 
and with the small end of the potato-masher pack it tight; when full 
put on the rubber and screw on the cover almost tight; place cloth 
on the bottom of the wash boiler; lay in the cans, one over another; 
cover with cold water; when it comes to a boil, boil three hours; take 
out and screw on the covers perfectly tight. If the covers are not 
tight enough, then boiling water will get in. Corn put up in this way 
is as well as in summer — all the flavor is preserved and there is no 
trouble in keeping. 

Corn — to can in tin cans. — Get cans made that require to be solder- 
ed. Cut the corn off the cob and fill the cans within three-quarters of 
an inch of the top. Do not pack the corn. Then pour in water until the 
corn is covered. Then put the cap on and solder it up perfectly air 
tight. Put the cans in a kettle and boil them two and a half hours. 
Then take them out and punch a hole in the top of the can; a hole the 
size of a large pegging-awl will do. Let them set until all the steam 
has passed out, which requires about five minutes. Then stop up the 
hole with solder, and put them in the kettle and boil them two and a 
half hours again. Then put the cans in a cool, dark place, and they 
will keep well. 

Corn (Hulled). — Old-fashioned people look upon hulled corn as a 
luxury. It should be more common than it is as a wholesome acceptable 
food. Hulled corn is the Northern equivalent of hominy or samp. 
In one case the hull is removed by means of ley and in the other by 
beating or other mechanical means. In the course of hulling, the corn 
doubles in bulk. White, flinty corn is prefered. Take hard-wood 
ashes equal in measure, to the com, pour on twice as much water, in 
an iron kettle, and boil for several minutes. Skim off whatever rises 
and allow the dregs to settle. This will take place sooner if a little 
cold water be added. Pour off the clear ley, wash the kettle, put in 
the corn with the ley and boil briskly for half an hour, adding water 
to make up the loss by evaporation, and stiring frequently. Pour off 
the ley and rinse the corn in several waters. Place the corn with 
w^ater in a large pan and rub it through the hands to remove any 
remaining hulls and the black " chits." Continue to wash in succes- 
sive waters, until that which is poured off is clear. Then cover the 
corn with water and boil slowly until quite soft, stirring frequently 
and adding hot water to make up any loss. When quite soft, add a 
large tablespoonful of salt to each six quarts of the hulled corn. Hull- 
ed corn is eaten cold with milk or with sugar and cream, or hot with 
butter. It will keep in cold weather for several days. 

Corn — for seed, — Always select even-rowed ears, and ears whose 
rows are straight and regular on the cob. Ears that taper are the 
best because better protected by the husks, and then, too, the silk — 
the female part of the plant — remains alive longer. The reason for 
selecting the top ear for seed is that it is always more fully devel- 
oped, more uniform and more vigorous in its germination, having 
been better fertilized when in the silk. 



IV HA T E VER V ONE SHOULD KNOW, 99 

Corn Starch — to manafacture. — The corn is steeped in water, 
ranging in temperature from seventy degrees to one hundred and forty 
degrees Fahrenheit, for about a week, changing the water at least once 
in twenty-four hours. A certain amount of acid fermentation is thus 
produced, causing the starch and refuse of the corn to be easily 
separated afterward. The swollen com is ground in a current of 
clear soft water, and the pulp passes through sieves, with the water 
into vats. In these the starch gradually settles to the bottom, the 
clear water is then run off by a tap, and the starch gathered and dried 
in a proper apartment for the purpose. 

Cosmoline — use of, — Cosmoline is soothing when the skin is brok- 
en and keeps better than ordinary salve. The plaster will come in 
play for cuts, and a little collodion brushed over it makes it water- 
proof, so that it need not be disturbed until the new skin has formed 
beneath it, 

Costiveness — to cure. — Common charcoal is highly recommended 
for costiveness. It may be taken either in tea or tablespoonful, or 
even larger doses, according to the exigencies of the case, mixed 
with molasses, repeating it as often as necessary. Bathe the bowels 
with pepper and vinegar. Or take two ounces of rhubarb, add one 
ounce of rust of iron, infuse in one quart of wine. Half a wineglass- 
ful every morning. Or take pulverized blood-root, one dram; pul- 
verized rhubarb, one dram; Castile soap, two scruples. Mix and 
roll into thirty-two pills. Take one morning and night. By follow- 
ing these directions it may perhaps save you from a severe attack of 
piles, or some other kindred disease. 

Cotton Goods — to cleanse. — Add to hot rain water an amount of 
wheat bran equal to one-eighth of the fabric to be cleansed, and, after 
stirring well for five minutes, add the goods; stir them about with a 
clean stick, and bring the whole to a boil. Allow the mixture to cool 
until the articles can be washed out, after which rinse them well. 

Cottons (Colored) — to wash. — Boil two quarts of bran in water 
for half an hour, let it cool, then strain it, and mix the liquor with 
the water in which the things are to be washed. They will only re- 
quire rinsing, as the bran will stiffen them sufficiently. For colored 
muslins, rice-water is very good, as it helps to preserve the color; 
but, although it makes white muslins clear, it sometimes gives them 
a yellow tinge. When used it should previously be boiled in the 
proportion of one pound of rice to one gallon of water. No soap is 
required. 

Cotton Fabrics — to render fire proof. — If a teaspoonful of pow- 
dered borax is added to every pint of starch used in starching cotton 
goods, they cannot be made to burn with a blaze. The borax can 
have no injurious effect upon the cloth or upon the wearer, and is so 
cheap that every one can afford it. 

Cough Compound. — For the cure of coughs, colds, asthma, whoop- 
ing-cough, and all diseases of the lungs: One spoonful of common 
tar, three spoonfuls of honey, the yolk of three hen's eggs, and half a 



loo WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

pint of wine; beat the tar, eggs and honey well together with a knife, 
and bottle for use. A teaspoonful every morning, noon and night, 
before eating. 

Cough (Consumptive) — to cure. — Take three pints rain water, 
half a pound of raisins chopped fine, three tablespoonfuls flax seed; 
sweeten to a syrup with honey, and boil down to a quart. Add three 
teaspoonfuls of extract of anise seed. Take a tablespoonful eight 
times a day. 

Cough Candy (Medicated.) — To five pounds of candy just ready 
to pour on the slab, add the following mixture, and form it into sticks: 
Tincture squills, two ounces; camphorated tincture of opium and 
tincture of tolu, of each one-half ounce; wine of ipecac, one-half 
ounce; oils of gaultheria, four drops; sassafras, three drops; and of 
anise seed oil, two drops, and use this freely in common coughs. 

Cough Drops. — Four teaspoonfuls of castor oil, four teaspoonfuls 
of molasses, one teaspoonful of camphor, and one teaspoonful of par- 
egoric. Mix together and take a teaspoonful at a dose four or five 
times a day. Mothers, try this; a month old baby can take a few 
drops; six months', a half teaspoonful, and a year old, a spoonful. 
When a child has a cold, and threatened with croup, begin giving the 
syrup during the day, and on going to bed. If it coughs during the 
night, give more. It will not fail to prevent croup and cure a cough. 
A grown person can take a larger dose. 

Cough (Dry) — remedy for. — Take of powdered gum arable, half an 
ounce; liquorice-juice, half an ounce. Dissolve the gum first in warm 
water, squeeze in the juice of a lemon, then add of paregoric two 
drams; syrup of squills, one dram. Cork all in a bottle and shake 
well. Take one teaspoonful when the cough is troublesome. 

Cough Cure. — An infallible cure for a cough or bronchitis. Well 
tried and proves true: Tincture of tolu, four drams; tincture of 
opium, two drams; tincture of lobelia, four drams; syrup of squills, 
one ounce; tincture of tar, two drams; syrup, wild cherry, one 
pound; syrup of Ipecac, one ounce; glycerine, five ounces; mix. 
Take one teaspoonful three times a day. 

Cough — to alleviate. — For a cough or tickling in the throat take 
the juice of two lemons, the beaten white of one ^gg, enough powdered 
or granulated sugar to make a thick paste. A teaspoonful of this 
mixture will allay the irritation and cure a cough in its early stages. 

Cough — to cure. — Roast a lemon very carefully without burning 
it; when it is thoroughly hot, cut and squeeze into a cup upon three 
ounces of sugar, finely pow^dered. Take a teaspoonful whenever 
your cough troubles you. It is as good as it is agreeable to the 
taste. 

Cough Mixture — reliable. — Take two ounces of balm of gilead 
buds, the freshest you can procure, and boil them very slowly in a 
quart of water. Let it simmer down to one pint, then strain it, and 
then add one pound of honey in comb, with the juice of three lemons* 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. loi 

Let them all boil together until the wax in the honey is dissolved. 
This has been known to cure a cough of long standing. 

Cough Mixture. — Paregoric, one ounce; tincture of tolu, one 
ounce; spirits of nitre, one ounce; antimonial wine, eighth of an ounce. 
A teaspoonful of this mixture is a dose. 

Cough Syrup. — Put one quart hoarhound to one quart water, and 
boil it down to a pint; add two or three sticks of licorice and a table- 
spoonful of essence of lemon. Take a tablespoonful of the syrup 
three times a day, or as often as the cough may be troublesome. 

Cough — simple remedies for. — i. For a tight, hoarse cough, where 
phlegm is not raised, or with difficulty, take hot water often, as hot as 
can be sipped. This will be found to give immediate and permanent 
relief. 

2. Try gum arable. Keep a piece in the back part of the mouth 
until the irritation is allayed. It is very healing as well as nutritious, 
and does not disarrange the stomach as sweet cough mixtures do. 

3. A small piece of resin, dipped in the water which is placed in a 
vessel on the stove, will add a peculiar property to the atmosphere of 
the room, which will give great relief to persons troubled with cough. 
The heat of the water is sufficient to throw off the aroma of resin. 

4. A medical authority recommends a little common sugar as a 
remedy for a dry hacking cough. If troubled at night or on first wak- 
ing in the morning, have a little cup on a stand close by the bed, and 
take half a teaspoonful; this will be of benefit when cough-syrups fail. 

Cough (Whooping) treatment. — Dissolve a scruple of salt of 
tartar in a gill of water; add to it ten grains of cochineal; sweeten it 
with sugar. Give to an infanta quarter teaspoonful four times a day; 
two years old, half spoonful; from four years, a tablespoonful. Great 
care is required in the administration of medicines to infants. We 
can assure paternal inquirers that the foregoing may be depended 
upon. 

Coughs — to relieve. — It is said that a small piece of resin dipped 
in the water which is placed in a vessel on a stove, not an open fire- 
place, will add a peculiar property to the atmosphere of the room 
which will give great relief to persons troubled with a cough. The 
heat of the stove is sufficient to throw off the aroma of the resin, and 
gives the same relief that is afforded by the combustion, because the 
evaporation is more durable. The same resin may be used for 
weeks. 

Court Plaster. — This plaster is merely a kind of varnished silk, 
and its manufacture is very easy. Bruise a sufficient quantity of 
isinglass, and let it soak in a little warm water for twenty-four hours; 
expose it to heat over the fire till the greater part of the water is 
dissipated, and supply its place by proof spirits of wine, which will 
combine with the isinglass. Strain the whole through a piece of open 
linen, taking care that the consistence of the mixture shall be such 
that, when cool, it may form a trembling jelly. Extend a piece of 
black or flesh-colored silk on a wooden frame, and fix it in that position 



I02 WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

by means of tacks or twine. Then apply the isinglass (after it has been 
rendered liquid by a gentle heat) to the silk with a brush of fine hair 
(badger's is the best). As soon as this first coating is dried, which 
will not be long, apply a second; and afterward, if the article is to be 
very superior, a third. When the whole is dry, cover it with two or 
three coatings of the balsam of Peru. This is the genuine court 
plaster. It is pliable, and never breaks, which is far from being the 
case with spurious articles sold under that name. 

Court Plaster. — Brush silk over with a solution of isinglass, in 
spirits or warm water, dry and repeat several times. For the last 
application apply several coats of balsam of Peru. Used to close 
cuts or wounds, by warming it and applying. It does not wash off 
until the skin partially heals. 

Cover — for a lounge. — A serviceable cover to throw over a lounge 
or couch in the sitting-room is made by taking a broad, bright stripe 
of cretonne; on each side of this put a stripe of black or dark brown 
cloth (line to give body to it); on each edge put a row of fancy stitches 
in silk or crewel; the ends may be finished with fringe or not, as you 
choose. Another cover is made of the drab Aida canvas, with the 
ends worked in loose overcast stitches. The canvas may be fringed 
out to any length desired if you take the precaution to overcast the 
edge where you stop raveling, to prevent its fraying out to a greater 
depth than you care to have it. 

Cow — to relieve from choking. — When a cow is choked with a 
potato or a piece of root in the throat, and it cannot be reached or 
caught by two fingers of the hand inserted in the throat, the best 
means of relief is rather to crush the obstacle by placing a block of 
wood on one side of the throat against it, and striking a sharp blow 
on the other side with a wooden mallet. This will smash the potato, 
apple or root, and the cow can swallow it. 

Cow (swelled bag) — to cure. — An excellent remedy for swelled 
bags in cows, caused by cold, etc., is gum camphor, one-half ounce, 
to sweet oil, two ounces; pulverize the gum, and dissolve over a 
slow fire. 

Cow (kicking) — to cure. — To cure a cow of the habit, put a com- 
mon garden hoe end in front of her off hind leg, and above and be- 
hind the gambrel joint of the nigh hind leg. Then sitting down on 
the right to milk, put the handle of the hoe well up under the arm, 
and begin milking. The heifer cannot stir either hind leg, and after 
one Aveek she can be milked safely without fettering. 

Crab-apple (Sweet Spiced) — to can. — Select large ones, cut out 
the blows. One pint of vinegar, one-half pint of water, five pounds 
of sugar, one tablespoonful each of whole cloves, stick cinnamon, 
whole allspice, and one half teacup of mustard seed. Cook the syrup 
a few minutes. Put few apples in at a time; skim out as soon as 
soft into a jar, then turn the syrup over all. For one peck of apples. 
I also can crab-apples as I do strawberries, or preserve them whole, 
pound for pound. 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 103 

Crackers (Oatmeal). — Wet one pint of fine oatmeal with one gill 
of water; work it a few minutes with a spoon, until you can make it 
up into a mass; place it on a board well covered with dry oatmeal; 
make it as compact as you can, and roll it out carefully to about one- 
sixth of an inch in thickness, and cut into squares with a knife, or 
into shapes with a cake-cutter. Bake in a very slow oven, or merely 
scald them at first and then let them stand in the oven until they dry 
out. These are difficult to make at first, but you soon learn to handle 
the dough and to watch your oven so that they will not scorch. They 
are excellent for all the purposes of crackers, and if kept dry, or if 
packed in oatmeal, they will last good for months. This is one 
form of the Scotch "bannock." A rich addition is two heaping 
spoonfuls of ground dessicated cocoa-nut. 

Cramp — in bathing. — For the cure of the cramp when swimming, 
Dr. Franklin recommends a vigorous and violent shock to the part 
affected, by suddenly and forcibly stretching out the leg, which 
should be darted out of the water into the air if possible. 

Cranberry Sauce. — To make nice cranberry sauce the berries, 
after being thoroughly washed, should be put into a sauce-pan (por- 
celain, never iron or tin), with a quart of boiling water to each quart 
of berries, and boil rapidly for twenty minutes, mashing the berries 
with a strong wooden spoon or masher. Then add two teacupfuls of 
sugar for each quart of berries, stir well, let it boil up, and then pour 
into a dish to cool. It should be very cold when served. We always 
pass the stewed fruit, after cooling a little, through a course sieve, 
and return to the sauce-pan before adding the sugar, let it just come 
to a boil, stir in the sugar and boil gently three or four minutes. Then 
pour into moulds or in a pretty glass dish. If one serves the berries 
in this way once she will never use them without ridding them of the 
tough and indigestible skins, which really never should be eaten, 
Long cooking spoils both color and flavor, and not only for cranberry 
but for apple sauce as well. 

Crape — to make old look nearly equal to new. — Place a little 
water in a teakettle, and let it boil until there is plenty of steam from 
the spout; then, holding the crape in both hands, pass it to and fro 
several times through the steam, and it will be clean and look nearly 
equal to new. 

Crape (Black) — to remove water stains from. — When a drop of 
water falls on a black crape veil or collar, it leaves a conspicuous 
white mark. To obliterate this, spread the crape on a table (laying 
it on a large book or paper to keep it steady), and place underneath 
the stain a piece of old black silk. With a large camel's-hair brush, 
dipped in common ink, go over the stain, and then wipe off the ink 
with a small piece of old soft silk. It will dry immediately, and the 
white mark will be seen no more. 

Cream (Cold) — to make. — One-half ounce of white wax; one-half 
ounce of spermaceti, three ounces oil of almonds, one ounce of glyc- 
erine, two ounces of rose water. Melt the first four ingredients 



I04 WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

gently together, and when nearly cold, stir in the rose water and a 
few drops of attar of roses. 

Cream Cheese from Buttermilk. — Put the buttermilk in a kettle 
over the fire and heat slowly until it curdles, but do not let it get 
warmer than will be pleasant to the hands when placed in it. Re- 
move from the fire and let it set on the back of the stove till the curd 
separates from the whey, then strain through a sieve or bag. Work 
the curd fine with the hands, salt it a very little, and then put in 
cream, mixing it thoroughly. 

Cream (Fruit). — Take one-half ounce of isinglass dissolved in a 
little water, then put one pint of good cream, sweetened to the taste; 
boil it. When nearly cold lay some apricot or raspberry jam on the 
bottom of a glass dish and pour it over. This is most excellent. 

Cream (Italian). — Melt three-quarters ounce of isinglass in half 
pint of milk; put a stick of cinnamon and a small piece of lemon peel 
in it; into one pint of rich cream put some granulated sugar, the juice 
of three oranges, and a glass of brandy; whisk them up well, and then 
strain the isinglass in it when cold and whip them all together; when 
it gets thick, put ina mold; place on ice in a very cool place. 

Cream (Lemon). — Take a pint of thick cream and put in it the 
yolks of two eggs, well beaten; four ounces of fine sugar, and the 
thin rind of a lemon; boil it up, then stir till almost cold; put the juice 
of a lemon in a dish or bowl and pour the cream upon it, stirring till 
quite cold. 

Cream (Raspberry). — Put six ounces of raspberry jam to one quart 
of cream, pulp it through a lawn -sieve, add to it the juice of a lemon 
and a little sugar, and whisk it till thick. Serve it in a dish or 
glasses. 

Cream (Strawberry). — One pint fresh strawberries sprinkled with 
half ounce of white powdered sugar. Let stand for a time to draw 
out the juice, then pass through a sieve with a wooden spoon; put 
half ounce gelatine into a stew-pan, with half a gill of cold water to 
soak and swell; then put on the fire and stir until the gelatine is 
melted. Add two ounces powdered sugar and juice of orte lemon. 
Put this mixture through a strainer, and stir into the strawberries. 
Whip half a pint of cream to a stiff froth, and add also. Scald a pint 
mold with hot water and rinse with cold. Pour the strawberry cream 
into the mold, and place it on ice until required for use. 

Cream (Salmon). — Take out the contents of a pint can, and remove 
all bits of skin and bone, drain off the fluid, and mince the fish fine. 
For a white sauce, boil a pint of milk, thicken with two tablespoon- 
fuls of corn starch, and add two tablespoonfuls of butter, with salt 
and pepper to one's liking. Prepare one pint finely powdered bread 
crumbs. Put a thin layer of crumbs in bottom of a pudding dish, 
then a layer of the minced fish, then a layer of the white sauce. Re- 
peat these layers for whole, ending with crumbs. Then bake in the 
oven -until the top crumbs are a handsome brown. This is a delicious 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 105 

and nourishing dish for breakfast or tea. and is served as a fish course 
at dinners. 

Cream (Tapioca). — At night put two heaping tablespoonfuls of 
tapioca to soak, and in the morning drain off the water, beat the 
yolks of two eggs with half a cup of sugar, a little nutmeg, and the 
tapioca; stir into a quart of boiling milk, and boil about ten minutes, 
thek pour into a dish. Beat the whites of the eggs to a froth with a 
little sugar, flavor with lemon or vanilla, spread smoothly over the 
cream, and put into the oven and brown. Eat cold. 

Crib-biting — remedy for. — Crib-biting is often a habit, but may be 
caused by disease. Indigestion occasions a constant irritation and 
uneasiness, which may impel the horse to take hold with the teeth and 
stretch the neck as a means of relief. From this grows the habit of 
crib-biting and wind-sucking, which ceases when the cause is re- 
moved. As a remedy, give the horse in his feed, daily, for a few 
weeks, one dram of copperas and half an ounce of ground ginger, and 
feed him upon cut feed, with crushed or ground grain, and an ounce 
of salt in each feed. 

Cribbing — to prevent. — Cribbing is a vice which springs from 
habit more than any other cause. It begins frequently from a desire 
to ease the teeth from inconvenience or perhaps pain, at that period 
when the dentition is perfecting, and then becomes fixed upon the 
horse as a vice. It is not injurious except when accompanied with 
wind-sucking, which is a series of deep inspirations by which flatu- 
lence and bellyache are caused. When the habit is fixed on a horse 
it is difficult io break it, and the only effective method is to use a muz- 
zle which prevents him from thus using his teeth. 

Crockery — to mend. — Take four pounds of white glue, one and a 
half pounds dry white lead, one-half pound isinglass, one gallon soft 
water, one quart alcohol, one-half pint white varnish; dissolve the 
glue and isinglas in the water by gentle heat if preferred; stir in 
the lead, put the alcohol in the varnish, and mix the whole together. 

Crops per Acre — to estimate. — Frame together four light sticks, 
measuring exactly a foot square inside, and, with this in one hand, 
walk into the field and select a spot of fair average yield, and lower 
the frame square over as many heads as it will inclose, and shell out 
the heads thus inclosed carefully, and weigh the grain. It is fair to 
presume that the proportion will be the 43.560th part of an acre's 
produce. To prove it, go through the field and make ten or twenty 
similar calculations, and estimate by the mean of the whole number 
of results. It will certainly enable a farmer to make a closer calcu- 
lation of what a field will produce than he can by guessing. 

Croup — cure for. — The following treatment is recommended as a 
cure for croup: As soon as the first symptoms are discovered, apply 
cold water suddenly and freely to the neck and chest with a sponge, 
then lay a cloth wet with cold water, on the chest, and closely cover 
with cotton batting (nothing else will do as well), and the breath will 
be instantly relieved. Give the patient plenty of cold water to drink, 



io6 WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

and cover it warm in bed, and it will sleep sweetly. There is no dan- 
ger of taking cold by the operation. 

Croup — treatment and cure. — There are various remedies for this 
enemy in the nursery. As in other diseases, prevention is better than 
cure. Children liable to croup should not play out of doors after three 
o'clock in the afternoon. If a woolen shawl is closely pinned around 
the neck of the patient when the first symptoms of croup appear, the 
attack may be diminished in power. The child struggling for breath 
naturally throws its arms out of bed to breathe through its pores, and 
thus takes more cold and increases its trouble. Bi-chromate of po- 
tassa in minute doses — as much as will rest on the point of a penknife 
— given every half hour till relief is obtained, is the best remedy we 
have ever tried. Mustard plasters on the ankles, wrist and chest will 
draw the blood from the throat and relieve it, cloths wrung from hot 
water and placed about the throat and chest and wrapped in flannel, 
give relief, A teaspoonful of alum, pulverized and mixed with twice 
its quantity of sugar, to make it palatable, will give almost instant 
help. Another remedy is the following: Take equal parts of soda 
or saleratus and syrup or molasses; mix and give a teaspoonful for a 
child two years old, larger doses for older children, smaller for nurs- 
ing babies. Repeat the doses at short intervals until the phlegm is 
all thrown up, and upon each recurrence of the symptoms; or, grate 
a raw onion, strain out the juice, and to two parts of the juice put 
one part of castor oil; keep it well corked in a bottle, shake well, give 
one teaspoonful once in two or three hours; or, take two parts sweet 
lard and six parts pulverized sugar, mix thoroughly, and give a tea- 
spoonful every fifteen minutes until relief is obtained. Among the 
many remedies given we hope that one or more may be available to 
every mother who needs aid in this matter. 

Croup — remedies. — i. First, get a piece of chamois skin, make a 
little bib, cut out tlie neck and sew on tapes to tie it on; then melt 
together some tallow and pin-e tar; rub some of this in the chamois 
and let the child wear it all the time. My baby had the croup when- 
ever she took cold, and since I put on the chamois I have had no 
more trouble. Renew with tar occasionally. 

2. One of the best cures for croup, and one which is always at hand, 
is to dip strips of flannel in very hot water and then bind tightly about 
the throat. Remove as soon as cold, and apply others. A cold in 
the chest can also be cured by wetting several thicknesses of flannel 
in hot water and laying it upon the chest. 

3. Croup can be cured in one minute, and the remedy is simply 
alum and sugar. The way to accomplish the deed is to take a knife 
or grater and shave off in small particles about a teaspoonful of alum; 
then mix it with twice its quantity of sugar, to make it palatable, and 
administer it as quick as possible. Almost instantaneous relief will 
follow. 

4. In croup or lung trouble, where there is difficulty in breathing, 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W, 107 

slake lime, and let the patient inhale the steam. This has cured mem- 
branous croup and given great relief in lung trouble. 

Croquettes (Chicken). — Have ready a coffeecupful of cold chicken, 
either roast or boiled, and chopped to the most complete fineness! 
Take a piece half the size of an q%^ of the best butter and let it heat 
to bubbling point over the fire. Stir into it a spoonful of milk and 
enough flour to make it of the consistency of drawn-butter sauce. 
Then when thoroughly cooked add a beaten egg and the chopped 
chicken and pepper and salt to taste. Spread it out on a platter to 
the thickness of a little less than an inch. Let it get cold. Then 
when wanted, form the croquettes with the hands, dip them in 
cracker crumbs, and fry in hot lard. A wire basket which can be 
dipped into the lard is good to fry croquettes in. This recipe can be 
used for any kind of cold meat or poultry, also for lobster. The 
mixture must be moist. The quantities given above will make 
enough croquettes for a moderate sized family. 

Crumpets. — One cup of sweet milk, one cup of buttermilk, one 
e:^^, half a teaspoonful of soda, a pinch of salt; flavor and sugar to 
taste. Make the batter a good deal thicker than for pancakes; bake 
on a griddle. The crumpets will keep for a week, and improve in 
keeping. 

Crystalized Chimney Ornaments. — Select a crooked twig of 
white or black thorn; wrap some loose wool or cotton around the 
branches, and tie it on with worsted. Suspend this in a basin or 
deep jar. Dissolve two pounds of alum in a quart of boiling water, 
and pour it over the twig. Allow it to stand twelve hours. Wire 
baskets may be covered in the same way. 

Cucumber Vines — to make bear fine crops. — When a cucumber is 
taken from the vine let it be cut with a knife, leaving about the 
eighth of an inch of the cucumber on the stem, then slit the stem with 
a knife from its end to the vine leaving a small portion of the cucum- 
ber on each division, and on each separate slip there will be a new 
cucumber as large as the first. 

Curculio in Fruit Trees — remedy for. — Sawdust saturated in coal 
oil, and placed at the roots of the tree, will be a sure preventive; or, 
clear a circle around the tree from all rubbish; fill up all little holes 
and smooth off the ground for a distance of at least three feet each 
way from the tree, then place chips or small pieces of wood on the 
ground within the circle; the curculio will take refuge in large num- 
bers below the chips, and you can pass around in the mornings and 
kill them off. 

Currant Wofms — to destroy. — The last two seasons my currant 
bushes were entirely stripped of leaves by the worms, leaving nothing 
but the bare fruit, and that of poor quality. This year I put about 
one pound of coarsely ground quassia wood into ten or fifteen gallons 
of water, and after stirring in two or three times, applied it with a 
watering-spout, by sprinkling the bushes every morning for several 



loS fVB-A T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

davs. The result is a plentiful crop of leaves, and fruit of an excellent 
quality. Water may be added as long as bitterness remains. 

Currants and Gooseberries — to insure a good crop. — Put one 
pint of salt and one pint of soft soap (it ought to be farmer's soap) to 
ten gallons of water, and use it on currants and gooseberries. I'll 
warrant them a full crop. Put plenty of ashes — coal or wood — around 
the roots to increase the size of the berries. 

Curry Powder — to make. — (This is the genuine East India recipe): 
Take the fennel seed, cummin seed, and coriander seed each four 
ounces, with two ounces of caraway seed, dry them before the fire, 
then grind and sift them, add to this two ounces of ground turmeric 
and the same of ground black pepper, one ounce of ground ginger, 
and half an ounce of Cayenne pepper. Mix well and keep dry and 
well stopped. 

Curtains — for bedrooms, etc. — A very stylish and graceful design 
for sitting room or bedroom curtains recently originated in the New 
York art rooms, and full directions are given here for making a pair. 
The curtains are inexpensive, the full cost for two deep windows be- 
ing about $3.50. The materials required are two yards of cretonne, 
ten or twelve yards of cheese cloth, and sufficient lace for finishing 
the front edges of the curtain and making an insertion across the top 
of each. Be careful in purchasing the cheese cloth to get a piece 
which is evenly woven, and without black threads. Scrim may be 
used instead of cheese cloth, if preferred, but it is more expensive. 
In buying the cretonne get two patterns which harmonize, buying one 
yard of each. Cut each yard in four pieces, lengthwise. Each curtain 
has two pieces at the top, with an insertion of lace in between. One 
curtain only will be described. Of each pattern of cretonne take one 
piece, stitch the lace insertion between them, turn down the edge — 
about an inch — of the one intended for the top of the curtain, and 
stitch the cheese cloth on the other piece with a pudding-bag seam. 
Make a hem twelve inches deep on the bottom of the curtain. The 
lace for the curtain should be about four inches wide. Lay the lace 
flat on the right side of the curtain, an inch from the edge, with the 
straight edge of the lace toward the selvage, and the pointed edge 
turning backward. Stitch it on, fold down the hem on the wrong 
side, and catch it fast with long stitches. Cut a V-shaped piece out 
of the lace at the lower corner of the curtain, seam the lace together, 
and sew it across the bottom of the curtain. 

Curtains (Lace) — to laundry. — Lace curtains should never be 
ironed — nor even the embroidered muslin ones. Have two narrow, 
slender boards, as long or longer than your curtains. Tack strips of 
cloth or wide tape the entire length of these. Place them out doors 
upon chairs, as you would quilting frames, and carefully pin the wet 
curtain between — stretching it until it is entirely smooth. Every 
point, every scallop should be pulled in shape and fastened down. 
It takes but little time for it to dry, and then its place should be filled 
with another. Housekeepers often stretch a sheet on the carpet of 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 109 

some unused room, and then pin the curtain to the floor, but the above 
method is greatly preferable. 

Curtains (Silk Rag) — to make. — Cut the silk into strips about half 
an inch wide (a little more or less makes no difference), either straight 
or on the bias. Sew the pieces together strongly, and roll into balls, 
keeping each color and shade by itself. Pieces of narrow ribbons, 
old cravats and sashes, old waists of dresses — in fact, every scrap of 
silk can be made use of whether soiled or fresh. After making a 
number of balls send them to a rag-carpet weaver, who will weave 
them for about twenty-five cents a yard. It will take one and one- 
half pounds of silk to make a yard of material three-quarters of a yard 
wide, which is the width of nearly all looms. If the balls of silk are 
given to the weaver with directions how to place the colors, and the 
width the stripes are desired, the stuff when finished will have a very 
handsome effect, and is very heavy. It is suitable for portieres, cur- 
tains, rugs, or tablecloths. 

Curtains (Window) — cheap and handsome. — Really charming 
bedroom curtains can be made of unbleached muslin sheeting with a 
simple hem upon the edge. All the trimming required is a strip of 
bright chintz or cretonne, a foot in width, stitched horizontally across 
the top about two feet from the cornice. The light falling through 
the unbleached muslin gives the fine ecru tone so much in vogue at 
the present, and it is impossible to detect the nature of the fabric 
without close examination. The effect is precisely that of the fine 
twilled India material so much admired when combined with strips of 
oriental embroidery. Really beautiful curtains for a parlor can be 
made of canton flannel in the same way, and the effect produced is 
that of a rich cream-colored plush or velvet. It is impossible to 
judge of the beauty of these cheap and novel hangings without hav- 
ing seen them. 

Custard (Apple) — to make. — Six tart apples, half teacupful of 
water, four spoonfuls of sugar, three pints of milk, eight eggs. Pare 
and core the apples, cook them in the water till tender, but do not let 
them break, put them in the pudding dish and sprinkle sugar over 
them; then make a custard of the milk, sugar and well-beaten eggs; 
flavor to taste; pour this over the apples, and bake in a moderate 
oven about half an hour. 

Custard (Boiled). — Heat one quart of milk to near boiling, add 
two tablespoonfuls of corn starch previously dissolved in a little cold 
milk; add two well beaten eggs, four tablespoonfuls of white sugar; 
let it boil up once, stirring all the time; flavor to suit. 

Custard (Chocolate Cream). — Scrape quarter of a pound of the 
best chocolate, pour on it a teacupful of boiling water, and let it 
stand by the fire until it is all dissolved. Beat eight eggs light, 
omitting the whites of two; stir them, by degrees, into a quart of rich 
milk alternately with the chocolate and three tablespoonfuls of white 
sugar. Put the mixture into cups and bake ten minutes. 

Custard (Orange). — The juice of six oranges strained and sweet- 



1 10 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

ened with loaf sugar; stir over a slow fire till the sugar is dissolved, 
take off the scum; when nearly cold add the yolks of six eggs, well 
beaten, and a pint of cream or milk. Return to the fire and stir till 
it thickens, pour into glasses and serve when cold. 

Custard (Rice). — One quart of milk, three eggs, well beaten, four 
tablespoonfu's of sugar, one tablespoonful of butter, one cup of boiled 
rice, a little salt, half the grated rind of a lemon. Boil the rice, drain, 
and stir while hot into the milk. Beat the eggs well, rub the butter 
and sugar to a cream with lemon peel and a little salt, and stir into 
the warm milk. Mix well and bake in a buttered dish in a brisk oven. 
Eat warm or cold. We like it better warm, with a little cream poured 
over it when served in saucers. 

Custard — without milk. — Add to one pint of water two heaping 
spoonfuls of flour, boil well, and when cold, add one ^%,^, piece of 
butter half the size of an egg, one cup of sugar, salt to taste, and 
flavor with lemon or vanilla. 

Cutting the Hair. — Cutting the hair does not, as generally thought, 
promote its growch. Most of the specifics recommended for bald- 
ness, not excepting petroleum, are mere stimulants, and are seldom 
or never permananently successful. Some of them give rise to con- 
gestion of the scalp. When a stimulant is desirable ammonia is the 
best. It is safe. 

Cuts— how to treat. — There is nothing better for a cut than pow- 
dered resin. Get a few cents' worth, pound it until it is quite fine, 
put it in a cast-off spice box, with perforated top, then you can easily 
sift it on the cut. Put a soft cloth around the injured member, and 
wet it with water once in awhile. It will prevent inflammation or 
soreness. 

Cuttings — for mailing. — Let me tell the floral readers how I do 
up cuttings for mailing. Cut at the leaf joint; trim off the large leaves, 
put a little damp moss or cotton around them, pack in a tin spice 
box, being careful to wrap and tie it securely. My cuttings have gone 
from Massachusetts to California all right. 

Dandruff — -ways to remove. — i . To remove dandruff take a thimble- 
ful of powdered refined borax (can be had at any druggists), let it dis- 
solve in a teacupful of water; first brush the head well, then wet a 
brush and apply it to the mixture, and then to the head. Do this 
every day for a week, and twice a week after for two or three times, 
and you will effectually remove the dandruff. 

2. The annoyance from dandruff can be prevented by dampening 
the scalp three or four times a week with sulphur water, made by 
putting a half ounce of flour of sulphur into a pint of water, shaking 
occasionally for a few days; then pour off into a clean bottle. 

Deafness — treatment of. — Take three drops of a sheep's gall, 
warm, and drop it into the ear before going to bed. The ear must be 
syringed with warm water in the morning. The gall must be applied 
for three successive nights. It is only efficacious when the deafness 
is produced by cold. The most convenient way of warming the gall 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. in 

is by holding it in a silver spoon over the flame of a light. The above 
remedy has been frequently tried with perfect success. 

Deafness — to relieve. — Put a tablespoonful of bay-salt into nearly 
a half pint of cold spring water; and after it has steeped therein for 
twenty-four hours, now and then shaking the phial, pour a small 
teaspoonful in the ear most effected, nightly, when in bed, for seven 
or eight successive nights. 

2. Digest two ounces of bruised garlic in one pound of oil of al- 
monds for a week, and strain. A drop poured into the ear is effect- 
ive in temporary deafness. 

Decanters — to clean. — Roll up in small pieces some soft brown or 
blotting paper; wet them, and soap them well. Put them into the 
decanters about one-quarter full of warm water; shake them well for 
a few minutes, then rinse with clear cold water; wipe the outsides 
with a nice dry cloth, put the decanters to drain, and when dry they 
will be almost as bright as new ones. This is the best and safest mode 
of cleaning decanters. Some persons, however, use a little fine sand, 
and others egg-shells crushed into small pieces, which are shaken 
about in the glass with cold water; a beautiful polish may be given 
by this means. 

Decanter Stoppers — to remove. — Stoppers of glass decanters fre- 
quently, from a variety of causes, become so fixed that they cannot 
be removed without danger. Whenever this is the case, place a little 
sweet oil with a feather around the stopper and the neck of the de- 
canter, and set it near the fire. When tolerably warm tap the stop- 
per gently on all sides with a light piece of wood, and it will soon 
become loose; or the neck of the decanter may be rubbed sharply 
with a piece of list; the friction will expand the glass of the decanter 
and in this way set the stopper .i^ee. Great care must be taken that 
the stopper is not broken. ^**^ 

Decorating — a lesson in. — Choose a plain, smooth, red-clay flower- 
pot. If it is rather stupid-looking, all the better. With your box of 
water-color paints, lay broad bands of dull blue around top and bot- 
tom. If you prefer, you can paint the intervening strip black, in- 
stead of leaving it red, and the bands may be divided by a narrow 
line of yellow. Now you are ready for the pictures. If you possess 
some sheets of little scrap-chromos, you will soon be rid of your 
task. Select some very odd, grotesque ones that will surprise each 
other as much as possible — a huge butterfly, tiny Madonna, reptiles, 
sprays, zebras, and the like. Paste them on in the most disorderly 
order you can imagine, and your work is complete. Another method 
is to cut from picture papers a quantity of small designs, being care- 
ful to trim them very neatly. Paint these all black, and lay on a dull 
red or blue ground. Whichever plan you choose, be careful and not 
decorate too profusely, as that would be quite unlike the Japanese, 
while it would hint most strikingly of a merry, mischievous little 
girl. 

Deer Skins — to tan for gloves. — For each skin take a bucket of 



1 12 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO fV. 

water and put it into one quart of lime; let the skin or skins lie in 
from three to four days, then rinse in clean water, hair and grain; 
then soak them in cold water to get out the glue; now scour or pound 
in good soap-suds for half an hour; after which take white vitriol, 
alum and salt, one tablespoonful of each to a skin; these will be dis- 
solved in sufficient water to cover the skin, and remain in it for 
twenty-four hours; wring out as dry as convenient, and spread on 
.vith a brush one-half pint of curriers' oil. and hang it in the sun 
about two days; after which )^ou will scour out the oil with soap-suds, 
and hang out again until perfectly dry; then pull and work them until 
they are soft; and if a reasonable time does not make them soft, 
scour out in suds again as before, until complete. The oil may be 
saved by pouring or taking it from the top of the suds, if left stand- 
ing a short time. The buff color is given by spreading yellow ochre 
evenly over the surface of the skin when finished, rubbing it well with 
a brush. 

Dentifrice (Charcoal.) — Ingredients: Powdered charcoal, four 
ounces; powdered yellow bark, two ounces; powdered myrrh, one 
ounce; orris root, half an ounce. Mix, and flavor with wintergreen. 

Dentists' Nerve Paste. — i. Arsenic, one part; rose pink, two 
parts. To destroy the nerve, apply this preparation on a pledget of 
cotton, previously moistened with creosote, to the cavity of the tooth, 
let it remain four hours, then wash out thoroughly with water. 

2. Arsenous acid, thirty grains; acetate of morphia, twenty grains; 
creosote, quantity sufficient for paste. Mix. 

Dentists* Emery Wheels. — Emery, four pounds; shellac, one-half 
pound; melt the shellac over a slow fire; stir in the emery, and pour 
into a mould of plaster of Paris. When cold it is ready for use. 

Dedorizer. — A few pounds of copperas in a bucket of water, poured 
into sinks or other offensive places, will neutralize unpleasant odors, 
and destroy unwholesome exhalations. 

2. Coffee pounded in a mortar and rosted on an iron plate, sugar 
burned on hot coals, and vinegar boiled with myrrh and sprinkled on 
the floor and furniture of a sick-room are excellent deodorizers. 

Depilatories — to take off superfluous hair. — i. Lime, twelve 
ounces; starch, ten ounces; orpiment, one ounce. Mix them to- 
gether. 

2. Sulphuret of arsenic, one ounce; quick-lime, two ounces. This 
application being virulent poison, must be used but seldom. 

3. Orpiment, one ounce; quicklime, nine ounces. Mix with a little 
soap lees and powdered starch. 

4. Quicklime, two ounces; salt of tartar, four ounces; charcoal, a 
quarter of an ounce. 

5. Quicklime, eight ounces; dry pearlash, one ounce; sulphuret of 
potassium, one ounce. It must not be applied more than two or three 
minutes. 

Dessert (Simple). — Put eight crackers in a deep dish, pour enough 
warm water or milk over them to just cover them, and when soaked, 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 113 

which will not take longer than ten minutes, sprinkle with sugar, 
cover with cream, garnish with preserved peaches, pears or quinces, 
and serve. Try it. 

Dessert (Novel). — Here is a novel and pleasing way to prepare a 
dessert. It is especially adapted for the children's birthday dinners 
in those happy households where such days are kept as joyous festi- 
vals. Make a small hole in the end or side of a number of egg shells. 
Through this pour out the ^%^. Fill the empty shells with hot pud- 
ding; made of corn starch, arrowroot, or Irish moss. When cold 
break off the shells; serve on small saucers, and surround the egg- 
shaped pudding with jelly or jam. If you wish to take so much 
trouble, divide the pudding in two parts, and add to one a tablespoon- 
ful of grated chocolate, and in this way color part of the eggs. Sugar 
and cream, flavored with vanilla, is a very nice sauce with this kind 
of pudding. 

Diamonds — to test. — The diamond may be distinguished from 
every other stone by its peculiar virtue of single refraction. Every 
other precious stone (with the exception of the garnet, from which it 
can otherwise be readily distinguished) possesses the quality of 
double refraction; a double image of a taper or small light being given 
off when it is viewed through their facets. This results from their in- 
ferior refracting, and consequently reflecting power. It can also be 
tested by its superior hardness. Further, if any other of the precious 
or artificial stones are immersed in alcohol, or even water, they lose 
their lustre, which the diamond does not. A simple and ready way 
of distinguishing precious from artificial stones is to touch them with 
the tongue — the stone being the best conductor of heat will feel cold 
— the glass much less so. Sir David Brewster invented an instru- 
ment to distinguish real gems, called a lithiscope. The usual mode 
of estimating its value is by its weight in carats (about four grains). 
If it is a diamond of the first water, free from flaws, and properly cut, 
its value is as the square of its weight in carats, multiplied by 8; i. e., 
a diamond of one carat is worth $40; of two carats, $160; of ten 
carats, $4,000, and so on. Beyond a certain weight fancy prices step 
in and human credibility requires a long breath. Uncut diamonds 
vary from $10 to $25 per carat. 

Diamonds — to polish. — The plan in use at all the large diamond 
cutters is simply a cast iron disc of good metal, with a verticle spin- 
dle run through its centre, balanced, and turned, and faced true in a 
lathe. The disc revolves at about one thousand revolutions per 
minute. With a little diamond dust and oil, the stone is set in a small 
brass cup filled with common soft solder; it is then screwed up in the 
clamps and applied to the skive till the facets is formed. 

Diarrhoea — remedies for. — i. A most valuable remedy for diar- 
rhoea is burnt rhubarb, given in port wine, milk, or water; from five 
to ten grains is sufficient for a dose. The manner of preparing it is 
to burn the rhubarb powder in an iron crucible, stirring it till it is 



114 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

blackened; then covering it closely in a jar; the drug loses two-thirds 
of its weight by incineration, and is nearly tasteless. 

2. A wineglassful of strong mint tea, with half a teaspoonful of 
carbonate of soda in it. To be taken three or four times a day. 

3. An excellent remedy may be extemporized as follows: Half a 
teaspoonful of prepared chalk, ten drops of laudanum, a drop of oil 
of peppermint, in half a wineglassful of cold water. 

Diarrhoea — cure for. — It is said the small plant commonly knowr 
by the name rupturewort, made into tea, and drank frequently, is ^ 
sure cure for diarrhoea. Rupturewort grows in nearly every open 
lot, and along the roads. It is a small plant, throwing out a number 
of shoots in a horizontal direction, and lying close to the ground, 
something similar to the manner of the pusleyweed, and bears a 
small, dark green leaf, with an oblong, purple spot in the centre. 
"When the stem is broken, a white milky substance will ooze from the 
wound. It is very palatable, and infants take it as readily as any 
drink. This is an old Indian cure, and may be relied on. The bo- 
tanical name of this plant is Eiiphrobia Maculata. 

Diarrhoea — remedy. — The ingredients are: Sulphate of morphia, 
one grain; glauber salts, quarter of an ounce; water, two ounces. 
Dose: A teaspoonful twice a day. If attended with much pain and 
looseness, administer this medicine every two hours. 

Diet During Diarrhoea. — Tea without milk, and very little sugar; 
mutton and chicken broths, or beef tea, thickened with a little flour 
or arrowroot; boiled rice, tapioca, sago; rice water or toast water to 
drink. If the attack is severe, or of long continuance, the patient 
must be kept in bed. The feet must be kept warm, and the covering 
to suit the feelings of the patient. 

Chloride of lime, or Piatt's chlorides, or raw carbolic acid must be 
placed in all chamber receptacles, and everything which passes from 
the patient removed as soon as possible. 

Diuretics — pills, drops, decoctions, etc. — Solidified copaiba, two 
parts; alcoholic extract of cubebs, one part; formed into pills with a 
little oil of juniper. Dose, one or two pills three or four times daily. 
This pill has been found very valuable in affections of the kidneys, 
bladder, and urethra, as inflammation from gravel, gonorrhoea, gleet, 
whites, lucorrhoea, common inflammation, etc. 

Diuretic Drops. — Oil of cubebs, one quarter ounce; sweet spirits 
of nitre, one-half ounce; balsam of copaiba, one ounce; Har- 
lem oil, one bottle; oil of lavender, twenty drops; spirits of turpen- 
tine, twenty drops; mix. Dose, ten to twenty-five drops, as the 
stomach will bear, three times daily. It may be used in any of the 
' above diseases with great satisfaction. 

Diuretic Tincture. — Green or growing spearmint mashed, put into 
a bottle, and covered with gin, is an excellent diuretic. 

Diuretic for Children. — Spirits of nitre — a few drops in a little 
spearmint tea — is all sufficient. For very young children, pumpkin 
seed, or watermelon seed tea is perhaps the best. 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 115 

Drink for Consumptive Patients. — Ingredients: One teacup of 
barley water, one-half teacup of new milk, five grains of nitre, sugar 
candy. Let the barley water, be thick, and well boiled^ before the 
other ingredients are added. The drink should be taken just warm, 
the first thing in the morning and the last at night. If the patient be 
subject to night perspiration, the last dose should be taken at an 
earlier hour, or the nitre omitted. This drink, if persevered with, 
will be found to afford great relief; it is so simple that it will not in- 
terfere with any medical treatment. 

Diphtheria — cure for. — We publish the annexed recipe from a 
physician, who says that of one thousand cases in which it has been 
used not a single patient has been lost. The treatment consists in 
completely swabbing the back of the mouth of the throat with a wash 
made thus: Table salt, two drams, black pepper, golden seal, nitrate 
of potash, and alum, one dram each. Mix and pulverize, put into a 
teacup, which half fill with boiling water, stir well, and then fill up 
with good vinegar. Use every half hour, one, two, and four hours, 
as recovery progresses. The patient may swallow a little each time. 
Apply one ounce each of spirits of turpentine, sweet oil, and aqua 
ammonia, every four hours, to the whole of the throat and to the 
breastbone, keeping flannel to the part. 

Diphtheria — cure for. — The following recipe is given by an old 
gentleman of Charlottesville, Va., who states that he has often known 
it to be used in cases of diphtheria, and has never kno.wn it to fail in 
effecting a cure: Take a handful of alder root, a handful of dogwood 
root, a handful of the bark of persimmon root, boil with a pint of 
vinegar down to a half pint; then add a very little water, a small lump 
of alum, and a little honey. Let the patient use it frequently as a 
gargle. 

Diphtheria — treatments of. — Diphtheria is scarcely more than a 
modification of scarlet fever. The patient first complains of lassitude, 
headache, loss of appetite; is chilly, with flushes of fever, active and 
quick pulse, a light furred tongue; redness of the back of the mouth, 
enlargement of the glands of the neck, a hot, dry, pungent skin; and 
in the second stage an exudation upon the mucous surface of the upper 
air-passages. This soon becomes organized into a tough, white or 
gray membrane, covering the soft palate and tonsils. These some- 
times degenerate into ulcers. The breathing at this stage becomes 
hurried and difficult; pulse quick, and frequently the asphyxia ensuing 
ends in death. It generally reigns as an epidemic, and is regarded by 
some as contagious. 

The very first care should be the throat. Cut pieces of salt fat pork, 
and cover the throat on each side, to exclude the air and sweat the 
neck; make a lotion of one teaspoonful of carbolic acid, two tea- 
spoonfuls glycerine, two teaspoonfuls salt, half pint hot water; 
gargle the throat every half hour; sulphur, desertspoonful to half tea- 
cup of water; mix with the finger to be used as a gargle, alternate 
with the carbolic acid lotion; swab the throat every hour, or often 



ii6 WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

enough to dislodge the deposits, with equal parts of sulphur and tan- 
nic acid in dry powder mixed. Never use the same swab twice; burn 
it and use a fresh one. Do not let the patient go near an open door 
or window, or lie in a draft. 

A paste made by stirring together the yolk of an egg and table salt 
is a most excellent application for the throat externally in all cases of 
inflammation. 

Give quinine every four hours to keep up the strength, or, if much 
fever, every three hours. Give plenty of ventilation, and let the 
patient partake freely of fruits, both raw and cooked, new milk and 
cream. 

Graham mush, oatmeal gruel, crackers, and soups of beef, chicken, 
squirrel, etc. If the patches ulcerate use sumac and wild indigo as a 
gargle. 

Diphtheria Cure. — Dr. Chenery, of Boston, has lately discovered 
that hyposulphite of soda is the specific remedy against diphtheria, 
that so much dreaded ailment, which of late years has carried off 
many valuable lives. He reports a very large number of cases 
saved by the use of this remedy. The dose of the hyposulphite is 
from five to fifteen grains or more in syrup, every two to four hours, 
according to age and circumstances. It can do no harm, but if too 
much is given it will purge; as much as the patient can bear without 
purging is a good rule in the severer cases. The solution or mixture 
can be used in doses of five drops to half a dram in milk. The 
amount for thorough stimulation is greater than can be taken in 
water. The doctor usually gives it in such doses as can be easily 
taken in milk, using milk besides as a food for small children. One 
fact, however, needs to be borne in mind, namely, the hyposulphite 
prevents the digestion of milk, and it should be given in less than an 
hour after taking the medicine. They may be used alternately, how- 
ever, without interference, in sufficiently frequent doses. 

Diphtheria Remedy. — The antiseptic treatment of diphtheria by 
turpentine has recently been introduced in Germany by Bosse, of 
Domnan. It is given in the same manner as in cases of phos- 
phorus poisoning, that is to say, as pure turpentine, highly rectified, 
in doses of a soup-spoonful twice a day to adults, a dessert-spoonful 
to children of more than five years of age, and a teaspoonful to young 
infants. Milk and wine are given abundantly at the same time. The 
administration of it causes a sensation of burning in the stomach, 
epigastric pressure, vomiting and the passage of stools strongly im- 
pregnated with turpentine odor. The use of turpentine was suggested 
by the experiments of Koch, which showed that it had an action on 
the problematic bacilli of diphtheria. But the treatment itself is much 
more than problematic. 

Diphtheria — remedy and treatment. — The treatment consists in 
thoroughly swabbing the back of the mouth and throat with a wash 
made thus: Table salt, two drams; black pepper, golden seal, nitrate of 
potash, alum, one dram each; mix and pulverize; put into a teacup 



WHA T E VER V ONE SIJO ULD KNO W. 117 

half full of water; stir well, and then fill up with good vinegar. Use 
every half hour, one, two, and four hours, as recovery progresses. 
The patient may swallow a little each time. Apply one ounce each 
of spirits turpentine, sweet oil, and aqua-ammonia, mixed, every 
hour to the whole of the throat, and to the breast bone every four 
hours, keeping flannel to the part. 

Dishes — how to wash. — The right way to wash dishes is to have 
three pans, one containing warm soap-suds, another warm clean 
water, and the other hot clear water. First, wash and wipe the 
glassware; second, the silver, having a plate in the bottom of the 
pan for the silver to rest on; third, take the dishes, one at a time, 
wash the side you eat off of in the suds, then place them in the warm, 
clear water, where there is a clean dish-cloth and wash both sides; 
then rinse them in the hot water and drain off. 

Dishes (Cheap and Excellent) — to cook. — i. Take as many cold 
hard boiled eggs as are required for the size of the dish; slice them, 
and cover the dish with a layer of these slices. Over these grate ^ 
thick covering of cheese, then another layer of slices of hard ^^%\ 
dot about a few capers and some finely-chopped hot pickle or chutnee. 
Over this pour a good thick mayonnaise sauce, and cover all with 
grated cheese. The mayonnaise sauce maybe made as follows: Beat 
up the yolk of a raw ^gg and oil, dropped in slowly, to a thick cream. 
Whisk up the white to the consistency of cream, and mix with it. 
Flavor with Tarragon vinegar, pepper and salt. 

2. Take the remains of any kind of fish that has been previously 
cooked; bone and well pound it in a mortar with a little butter, pep- 
per and salt to taste, and a little shallot or garlic. Roll it into balls, 
^%g and bread-crumbs, and fry these a golden brown. Serve very 
hot with slices of lemon. The remains of lobster or crab may be 
served in the same way, 

3. Take as many hard boiled eggs as you require, cut them in 
halves and scoop out the yolks. Mix the latter with some finely- 
minced cold chicken, mushroom, shallot, a little lemon-juice, and 
pepper and salt to taste. Put this mixture into the white halves, pass 
a piece of thread around them, roll them lightly in o.^^^ and bread- 
crumbs, and fry to light brown. 

4. The remains of cold duck or young goose may be made very 
appetizing in the following way: Mince the flesh up very finely with 
lemon-juice, a few olives, a little of the seasoning, and some celery- 
salt. Make a hard crust as for a raised pie, and bake in the oven or 
boil in a basin. If the latter, serve with it the gravy left from the 
roast, flavored with a wineglass of red wine. 

5. Take a fair-sized fowl, braise it well, and then cut into small 
pieces. Put it into a stew-pan with a quart of peas, a young good- 
hearted lettuce cut into quarters, a few spring onions chopped fine, a 
dozen button mushrooms, and a dessert-spoonful of " Yankee Relish " 
or Worcestershire sauce. An old fowl answers for this purpose ad- 
mirably. 



1 18 WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

6. Stew macaroni until it is quite tender in any kind of brown 
soup. Serve it in a rather deep dish with rich cheese grated thickly 
over it. 

7. Break three or four eggs into a basin; whisk them to a thick 
cream. Stir in a tablespoonful of flour, a quart of milk, and two 
spoonfuls of curry powder. Bake till it rises and serve hot. This 
curry custard cannot be too strongly recommended, 

8. A pie that combines economy with savoriness may find favor 
with the economically disposed few. Some slices of beef cut very 
thin, a few thicker bits out of a loin of pork. Line the slices of beef 
with chopped onion and fine herbs, roll them up and tie with thread. 
Pack the meat into the dish with a layer of leeks, white beet, and 
parsley between each layer. Pour a little gravy over the whole, 
season liberally, and bake under a good light crust. 

9. A dish equal to the best steak and cheap enough for any man, is 
prapared from a shank of beef with some meat on it. Have the bone 
well broken; wash carefully to remove bits of bone, cover with cold 
water; watch when the boiling begins and take off the scum that rises. 
Stew five or six hours till the muscles are dissolved; break the meat 
small with a fork — far better than chopping — put it in a bread-pan, 
boil down the gravy till in cooling it will turn to a stiff jelly. When 
this is done gelatine is quite superfluous. Add salt, and, if liked, 
other seasoning, and pour it hot upon the meat; stir together and set 
aside over night, when it will cut into handsome mottled slices fof 
breakfast or supper. 

Disinfectant — for sick-rooms. — Let a reliable apothecary put up 
for you in a small bottle four ounces of ninety per cent, alcohol, 
and one ounce of thirty-six per cent, nitric acid. One half of this 
mixture will disinfect a room fifty feet long, thirty feet wide and 
twelve feet high. One large spoonful of it (one-half ounce) will dis- 
infect a large bedroom containing 1,200 cubic feet of air space. Two 
teaspoonfuls of it (two drams) will disinfect a bedroom nine feet square 
and seven and one-half feet high. A teaspoonful (one dram) is suf- 
ficient for three hundred cubic feet air space. The method of using 
the mixture is as follows: Put the quantity to be used in a porcelain 
capsule (a tea-saucer will do), set a pan of warm water in the room to 
be disinfected; let the capsule or saucer containing the disinfectant 
float on the surface of the warm water. The mixture in the capsule 
or saucer will evaporate by the heat of the water, and the vapor will 
effectively disinfect. Don't try to evaporate on a stove, over a lamp, 
or by a fire; mischief would result. Use warm water to effect evap- 
oration and nothing else. Use only porcelain to hold the mixture, 
for it will corrode metal. It will also spoil a good spoon. Label the 
bottle " poison," for it would be very dangerous to take it instead of 
medicine. 

Disinfectants. — i. A saturated solution of permanganate of potassa 
is the best of all disinfectants. Add to twenty-five grains two quarts 
of water. A tablespoonful of this in a soup plate of water removes 



fVHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO V/. 119 

any ordinary smell. No sick-room, especially one in which there is 
infectious disease, should be without it. 

2. Heat a common iron fire-shovel hot, but not quite red-hot, and 
pour an ounce of carbolic acid fluid on it. The fumes will penetrate 
the room everywhere and cleanse the air of its impurities. This 
should be repeated daily so long as it is necessary. 

3. The following is a refreshing disinfectant for a sick-room, or any 
room that has an unpleasant aroma pervading it: Put some fresh 
ground coffee in a saucer, and in the center place a small piece of 
camphor gum, which light with a match. As the gum burns allow 
sufficient coffee to consume with it. The perfume is very pleasant 
and healthful, being far superior to pastiles, and very much cheaper, 

4. From an Italian journal we note that a few drops of the follow- 
ing mixture on a plate will pleasantly disinfect a bedroom: Cam- 
phor, twenty; hypochlorite of lime, alcohol and water, of each fifty; 
eucalyptus and oil of cloves, of each one part. The ingredients must 
be mixed slowly in a cool, spacious vessel. 

5. Cut two or three good-sized onions in halves, and place them on 
a plate on the floor; they absorb noxious effluvia, etc., in the sick- 
room, in an incredibly short space of time, and are greatly to be pre- 
ferred to perfumery for the same purpose. They should be changed 
every six hours. 

Dogs — to remove vermin from. — To remove fleas and lice on dogs, 
mix soft-soap with as much carbonate of soda as will make it into a 
thick paste. Then rub this well into the roots of the hair all over the 
dog's body, adding a little hot water as you go along, so as to enable 
you to completely saturate the skin with it. Let it remain for half an 
hour, then put the dog into a tub with warm water for ten minutes, 
letting him quietly soak, and now and then ducking his head under. 
Lastly, wash the soap completely out, and let him dry by exercise in 
the sun, choosing a warm day for the operation. This, after two or 
three repetitions, will completely cleanse the foulest skin. To pre- 
vent vermin from again accumulating, moisten the hair once a week 
with a teaspoonful of carbolic'acid to a half pint of water. Keep his 
house or resting place and bedding clean and sweet, and sprinkle it 
occasionally with the last mentioned solution. 

Dog-bite — treatment of. — Wash the part thoroughly, then suck it 
freely; finally touch it all over with lunar caustic. When there is i 
doubt as to the health of the animal, and the dog is supposed to be 
mad, the only safe method to prevent the absorption of the poison is 
to have recourse to the surgeon's knife, by which every particle of the 
surface with which the saliva of the dog may have come in contact 
must be cut away. 

Doughnuts. — One &zZi o"^ cup of sugar, one teaspoonful of but- 
ter, one cup of sweet milk, one teaspoonful of soda, two teaspoonfuls 
of cream tartar. 

Doughnuts (Raised). — One pint of milk, one pint of sugar, one 
pint of yeast or sponge, two-thirds of a pint of shortening, two eggs, 



I20 PVHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

one small teaspoonful of salt, and one teaspoonful of cinnamon. Wet 
up warm at night, wrap up well, and in the morning roll and cut 
out, let stand while the fat heats, fry, not too quickly. 

Drafts, Bills of Exchange, Acceptances. — A draft or bill of ex- 
change is an order drawn by one person or firm upon another, paya- 
ble either at sight or at a stated future time. 

It becomes an "acceptance" when the party upon whom it is 
drawn writes across the face " accepted " and signs his name thereto, 
and is negotiable and bankable, the same as a note, and subject to 
the same laws. 

In many states both sight and time drafts are entitled to three 
days' grace, the same as notes; but if made in form of a bank check, 
" pay to," without the words " at sight," it is payable on presentation 
without grace. 

Drills — to temper. — Select none but the finest and best steel for 
your drills. In making them, never heat higher than a cherry red, 
and always hammer till nearly cold. Do all your hammering in one 
way, for if, after you have flattened your piece out, you attempt to 
hammer it back to a square or a round, you spoil it. When your drill 
is in proper shape, heat it to a cherry red, and thrust it into a piece 
of resin or into quicksilver. Some use a solution of cyanuret potassa 
and rain-water for tempering their drills, but the resin or quicksilver 
will work best. 

Drink — very strengthening. — Beat the yolk of a fresh ^%% with a 
little sugar, add a very little brandy, beat the white to a strong froth, 
stir it into the yolk, fill up the tumbler with new milk, and grate in a 
little nutmeg. 

Drinks — ior fever patients. — Drinks made from fresh or preserved 
fruits are sometimes useful in fevers. Rhubarb tea is a very refresh- 
ing spring beverage. Slice about two pounds of rhubarb and boil for 
a quarter of an hour in a quart of water; strain the liquor into a jug, 
adding a small quantity of lemon-peel and some sugar to taste ; when 
cold it is fit for u'-e. Apple water may be made in the same manner. 
The apples should be peeled and cored.* Sugar should not be added 
to either of the above until after the liquor is removed from the fire. 
In the absence of fresh fruit a pleasant beverage may be prepared by 
stirring sufficient raspberry jam or current jelly into the required 
quantity of water, straining the liquor before giving it to the patient. 
Dropsy — remedy for. — Take one pint of bruised mustard seed, two 
handfuls of bruised horseradish root, eight ounces of lignumvitse 
chips, and four ounces of bruised Indian hemp root. Put all the in- 
gredients in seven quarts of cider, and let it simmer over a slow fire 
until it is reduced to four quarts. Strain the decoction, and take a 
wineglassful four times a day for a few days, increasing the dose to a 
small teacupful three times a day. After which use tonic m.edicines. 
This remedy has cured cases of dropsy in one week's time which has 
baffied the skill of many eminent physicians. For children the dose 
should be smaller. 



WIT A T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 121 

Dropsy — to cure. — i. In its earliest stages this malady may be ar- 
rested by taking one of the following pills, three times each day: Po- 
tassi 57^/sodii salicylidi, gr. ss.; ext. graminis (t/^-/ tarox.) q. s. Make 
into cxx pills. 

2. The ingredients are: Acetate of squills, one ounce; nitrate of 
potash, sixty grains; water, five ounces. Dose, a tablespoonful every 
two hours. 

3. A tea made of chestnut leaves, and drank in the place of water, 
will cure the most obstinate case of dropsy in a few days. 

Drowning — to avoid. — Drowning can be avoided, and any one 
can remain hours in water, whether they can swim or not, by clasp- . 
ing their hands behind them, throwing themselves on their backs, so 
as to keep the nQse out of water. Presence of mind, force of will, 
and confidence will enable any one to assume this position, and 
change to an upright one by treading the water with feet and hands, 
keeping fingers close together. Remember and shut the mouth, 
breathe through the nose; never mind the ears, water cannot enter 
the head; keep the hands underwater, "be not afraid." act as de- 
scribed, and you will not sink or drown. 

Drov/ning — to restore from. — The rules that ought to be observed 
in treating a person rescued from the water are few and simple. Dr. 
H. R. Silvester's methods of restoring the apparently dead or drowned 
— which have been approved by the royal medical and chirurgical 
society — are practical, easily understood, and are in accordance with 
common sense. The one important point to be aimed at is, of course, 
the restoration of breathing, and the efforts to accomplish this should 
be persevered in until the arrival of medical assistance, or until the 
pulse and breath have ceased for at least an hour. Cleanse the 
mouth and nostrils, open the mouth, draw forward the patient's 
tongue with a handkerchief, and keep it forward; remove all tight 
clothing from about the neck and chest. As to the patient's posi- 
tion, place him on his back on a flat surface, inclined a little from the 
feet upward; raise and support the head and shoulders on a small, 
firm cushion or folded article c5f dress placed under the shoulder- 
blades, then grasp the arms just above the elbows, and draw them 
gently and steadily upward, until they meet above the head; this is 
for the purpose of drawing air into the lungs; and keep the arms in 
that position for two seconds. Then turn down the patient's arms, 
and press them gently and firmly for two seconds against the sides of 
the chest (with the object of pressing air out of the lungs; pressure on 
the breast bone will aid this). Repeat these measures alternately, 
deliberately and perseveringly, fifteen times in a minute, until a 
spontaneous effort to respire is perceived, upon which cease to imi- 
tate the movements of breathing, and proceed to induce circulation 
and warmth. This may be done by wrapping the patient in dry 
blankets and rubbing the limbs upward, firmly and energetically. 
Promote the warmth of the body by the application of hot"flannels, 
bottles of hot water, etc., to the pit of the stomach, arm-pits, and to 



122 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

the soles of the feet. Warm clothing may generally be obtained 
from a bystander. On the restoration of life, stimulants should be 
given, and a disposition to sleep encouraged. 

Drunkenness — cure for. — There is a prescription in use in Eng- 
land for the cure of drunkenness, by which thousands are said to have 
been enabled to recover themselves. The recipe came into notoriety 
by the efforts of Mr. John Vine Hall, commander of the Great East- 
ern steamship. He had fallen into such habitual drunkenness that 
his most earnest efforts to reclaim himself proved unavailing; at last 
he sought the advice of an eminent physician, which he followed 
faithfully for several months, and at the end of that time he had lost 
all desire for liquor, although he had been for many years led captive 
by a most debasing appetite. The recipe, which he afterwards pub- 
lished, and by which so many other drunkards have been assisted to 
reform, is as follows: Sulphate of iron, twenty grains; magnesia, 
forty grains; peppermint, forty-four drams; spirits of nutmeg, four 
drams. Dose, one tablespoonful twice a day. 

Drunkenness — remedy for. — Let the inebriate — it matters not 
whether he is just getting off, is beginning it, or on a " spree" — begin 
by taking every two hours one dram (teaspoonful) tincture of cin- 
chona (Peruvian bark). This will make him feel good. He can in- 
crease the dose six drams (teaspoonfuls) without any danger, and take 
it in that proportion four to ten times a day. It will not destroy his 
appetite for food. In the course of a few days, the anti-periodic 
properties of the cinchona begin to tell, and he loses not only all 
taste for the tincture, but also for everything in the way of alcohol. 

Drunkenness — cure for. — We give the Peruvian bark remedy, 
which is said to kill the disease and the inclination to drink, at one and 
the same time. Take one pound of best, fresh quill red Peruvian 
bark, powder it and soak it in one pint of diluted alcohol. Afterward 
strain and evaporate it down to half a pint. Dose, a teaspoonful 
every three hours the first and second days, the tongue to be mois- 
tened occasionally between the doses. If the patient has a headache 
in consequence of taking the medicine, reduce the dose. The third 
day take half a teaspoonful every three hours. Afterward reduce the 
dose to fifteen drops then to ten, then to five. To make a cure, it 
takes from five to fifteen days, and in extreme cases, thirty days. 
Seven days arp about the average in which a cure can be effected. 

Ducks — treatment of. — Ducks do not really require a pond or 
stream of water; give them, especially the well advanced young ones, 
a shallow box, sunk into the ground, of water, which should be con- 
stantly supplied, and they will thrive well. Very young ducklings 
should be kept away from the water, merely giving them plenty to 
drink, fresh and pure. When they have attained a fair size, have 
feathered up considerably, and are three or four weeks old, introduce 
them to the puddle made for them, and they will be all right. Where 
it can be done, let the water-box be in a good sized enclosure, so that 
they cannot wander away and fall an easy prey to hawks, snakes, 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 123 

turtles, etc. About the same food that is given turkeys is suitable for 
young ducks, although they like plenty of green food as well as soft 
food while young. Worms, flies, bugs, etc., are eagerly shoveled in 
by them, and relished accordingly, in the absence of which occas- 
ional feeds of shreds of well cooked beef — the cheap of all parts will 
do — come in very nicely to supply the deficiency. Like other young 
poultry, they require care during the earlier stages of growth and de- 
velopment. 

Ducks — quick growth of. — The prejudice against ducks, on ac- 
count of their extreme voracity, is not well founded, for if they eat 
enormously when half grown, they increase in weight proportionately. 
Quick growth is one of the things most desired in animals of all kinds 
that are raised for the table. If the experiment be tried of rearing 
chickens and ducks that were hatched the same day, in a flock to- 
gether, and giving them all they will eat, the latter will outstrip the 
chickens in growth. 

Dumplings (Apple). — i. First procure good, sour, juicy apples, 
pare and core, leaving them in halves. Get all your ingredients 
ready before beginning to mix your dough; sugar, soda, milk, lard, 
salt, flour and apples. Now make a dough as for soda biscuits, only 
adding a little more lard to make it shorter. Take a bit of dough on 
the kneading-board, and after kneading this, roll as for pie crust; 
then cut in pieces long enough to cover an apple, allowing for lap- 
ping the edges. Put in two of your apple halves, sweeten according 
to taste, and cover apple and sugar with dough. Lay the dumplings 
in your bread-pan, the smooth side up, first having your pan well 
buttered. Proceed in this manner until you get your pan well filled 
(be sure it is a large pan, for they will go off like hot cakes), then 
place a small bit of butter on top of each dumpling, sprinkling a hand- 
ful of sugar over all; then place in a moderate oven and allow them 
to bake an hour. Serve with pudding sauce, or with cream and 
sugar. 

2. Make a crust like that for soda biscuits. One quart flour, one 
pint milk (the crust must be soft as possible), half cup shortening, one 
teaspoonful soda, two teaspoonfuls cream tartar, or three teaspoon- 
fuls of baking powder, a little salt. Roll and cut in circular shape, 
large enough for two halves of apple. We do not sweeten or flavor, 
nor do we bake, but put in the steamer and steam, and eat, when 
done, with sauce, or sugar and butter, or with syrup. 

3. Peel and chop fine tart apples, make a crust of one cup of rich 
buttermilk, one teaspoonful of soda and flour enough to roll; roll half 
an inch thick, spread with the apple, sprinkle well with sugar and cin- 
amon, cut in strips two inches wide, roll up like jelly-cake, set up the 
roll on end in a dripping-pan, putting a teaspoonful of butter on 
each; put in a moderate oven and baste often with the juice. Use 
the juice for the sauce, and flavor with brandy if you choose. A 
sauce of milk and butter, sweetened and flavored, is mostly pre- 
ferred. 



124 ^^^ T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

Dust-pan — proper shape. — When you want a dust-pan, have it 
made to order, with the handle turned down instead of up, so as to 
rest on the floor, and tip the dust-pan at a proper angle for receiving 
the dust. It is a great convenience, as you do not have to stoop and 
hold it while you are sweeping. 

Dyeing (Black). — Use four ounces of copperas and one ounce log- 
wood extract to each pound of goods; dissolve the copperas in water 
sufficient to cover the cloth; wet it in clean water before putting it in 
the copperas water, to prevent spotting; boil it in the copperas water 
about twenty minutes; take it out, rinse in clean water first, then 
wash in soap-suds till it seems soft as before it was put in the cop- 
peras water; then put into the logwood dye and let it boil about 
twenty minutes; take out and let it dry; wash before it dries, or after, 
as is most convenient. It will neither crack, fade, nor grow rusty. 

Dyes — for ivory, horn and bone. — Black. — Lay the articles for 
several hours in a strong solution of nitrate of silver, and expose to 
the light; boil the article for some time in a strained decoction of log- 
wood, and then steep in a solution of per-sulphate or acetate of iron; 
immerse frequently in ink until of sufficient depth of color. 

Blue. — Immerse in a dilute solution of sulphate of indigo, 
partly saturated with potash, and it will be fully stained; steep in a 
strong solution of sulphate of copper. 

Green. — Dip blue-stained articles for a short time in a nitro-hy- 
drochlorate of tin, and then in a hot decoction of fustic; boil in a solu- 
tion of verdigris in vinegar until the desired color is obtained. 

Red. — Dip the article first in a tin mordant used in dyeing, and 
then plunge in a hot decoction of Brazil wood, one-half pound to a 
gallon of water or cochineal; steep in red ink till sufficiently stained. 

Scarlet. — Use lack dye instead of the preceding. 

Violet. — Dip in the tin mordant, and then immerse in a decoction 
of logwood. 

Yellow. — Boil the articles in a solution of alum, one pound to half 
a gallon, then immerse for half an hour in the following mixture: 
Take half a pound of turmeric, and a quarter'of a pound of pearlash; 
boil in one gallon of water; when taken from this, the bone must be 
again dipped in the alum solution. 

Dynamic Power of Various Kinds of Food. — One pound of oat- 
meal will furnish as much power as two pounds of bread, and more 
than three pounds of lean veal. One pound of butter gives a working 
force equal to that of nine pounds of potatoes, twelve pounds of milk, 
and more than five pounds of lean beaf. One pound of lump sugar 
is equal in force to two pounds of harn, or eight pounds of cabbage. 
The habitual use of spirituous liquors is inimical to health, and in- 
evitably tend§ to shorten life. A mechanic or laboring man of aver* 
age size requires, according to Moleschott, twenty-three ounces of 
dry solid matter daily, one-fifth nitrogenous. Food, as usually pre- 
pared, contains fifty per cent, of water, which would increase the 
quantity to forty-six ounces, or three pounds and fourteen ounces. 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 125 

with at least an equal weight of water in addition daily. The same 
authority indicates as healthy proportions, of albuminous matter, 
4.587 ounces; fatty matter, 2.964; carbo-hydrate, 14.250; salts, 1.058; 
total, 22.859 ounces, for daily use. This quantity of food will vary 
greatly in the requirements of individuals engaged in sedentary em- 
ployments, or of persons with weak constitutions or impaired diges- 
tion, as also whether employed in the open air or within doors; much, 
also, depending on the temperature. Preference should be given to 
the food which most readily yields the materials required by nature 
in the formation of the human frame. Beef contains about four 
pounds of such minerals in every one hundred pounds. Dried ex- 
tract of beef contains twenty-one pounds in each one hundred pounds. 
Bread made from unbolted wheat flour is also very rich in such ele- 
ments, much more so than superfine flour; hence the common use of 
graham bread for dyspepsia and other ailments. The analysis of 
Liebig, Johnston, and others, give, in one hundred parts, the follow- 
ing proportions of nutritious elements, viz.: Indian corn, 12.30; bar- 
ley, 14.00; wheat, 14.06; oats, 19.91. A fish diet is well adapted to 
sustain intellectual or brain labor. What is required may be best 
known from the fact that a human body weighing one hundred and 
fifty-four pounds contains, on a rough estimate, of water, fourteen 
gallons; (consisting of oxygen, one hundred and eleven pounds; of 
hydrogen, fourteen pounds;) carbon, twenty-one pounds; nitrogen, 
three pounds and eight ounces; calcicum, two pounds; sodium, two 
and a quarter ounces; phosphorus, one and three-quarter pounds; 
potassium, one-half ounce; sulphur, two ounces and two hundred and 
nineteen grains; fluorine, two ounces; chlorine, two ounces and forty- 
seven grains; iron, one hundred grains; magnesium, twelve grains; 
silicon, two grains. After death, the human body is, by gradual de- 
cay, slowly resolved into these its component parts, which elements 
are again used in the complex and wonderful laboratory of nature, to 
vivify the countless forms of vegetable life. These in their turn fulfil 
their appointed law by yielding up their substance for the formation 
of other bodies. 

Dysentery (Cholera) Cordial. — Two ounces tincture cayenne, one 
ounce spirits camphor, one ounce tincture rhubarb, two ounces es- 
sence peppermint, two ounces best brandy, two drams laudanum. 
Dose for an adult, one teaspoonful every hour until relief is ob- 
tained. 

Dysentery Remedy. — The &^% is considered one of the best of 
remedies for dysentery. Beaten up slightly, with or without sugar, 
and swallowed at a gulp, it tends, by its emollient qualities, to lessen 
the inflammation of the stomach and intestine, and, by forming a 
transient coating on these organs, to enable nature to resume her 
healthful sway over a diseased body. Two, or at most three eggs 
per day would be all that is required in ordinary cases; and since egg 
is not merely medicine, but food as well, the lighter the diet other- 



126 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

wise and the quieter the patient is kept, the more certain and rapid is 
the recovery. 

Dyspepsia Remedy. — A sufferer from dyspepsia says: " The ker- 
nel of the peach pit has proved in many cases a perfect remedy for 
what is termed heartburn. I suffered from it hourly for years; more 
at some times than others. Seeing this remedy recommended in some 
journal, two or three years ago, I often since proposed to try it, but 
did not until last winter. When the suffering manifests itself, eat one 
or two of the kernels, and after a few days the symptoms will disap- 
pear. The remedy is simple, cheap, and harmless, and, best of all, 
effectual." 

Dyspepsia — treatment of. — One of the first things to be attended 
to is to regulate the bowels, which in this disease are always in a cos- 
tive state. The best means of keeping them loose is the eating of a 
handful of clean wheat bran, once or twice a day. This is the most 
simple and efficacious method of cleansing the stomach. It may be 
eaten from the hand with a few swallows of water to wash it down, 
also use, to regulate the stomach and bowels, the daily use of com- 
mon salt, in teaspoonful doses, dissolved in a half tumblerful of 
water, taken in the morning fasting. Avoid rich diet, and use brown 
bread instead of that made of superfine flour. 

Dyspeptics — diet for. — Dr. Milner Fothergil recommends the use 
of stewed fruits in many instances of gout and dyspepsia. Sugar is 
undoubtedly objectionable to many, but it is by no mean necessary 
to add sugar to stewed fruit; if the acidity be neutralized by an alkali, 
little or no sugar is required. Thrifty housewives have long been 
familiar with the fact that the addition of a small quantity of the 
bicarbonate of soda to stewed fruit reduces the acidity, so as to save 
the necessity of so much sugar. If about as much bicarbonate of 
potash as will lie on a shilling be added to each pound of fruit it will 
be found sufficient to neutralize the acidity and to bring out the 
natural sweetness. Milk puddings and stewed fruit are excellent for 
the dyspeptic, the bilious and the gouty. 

Dyspepsia — cures and treatment. — The late Dr. Leared, in his 
recently published essay on " The Causes and Treatment of Indi- 
gestion," lays down as a fundmental principle that the amount of food 
which each man is capable of digesting with ease always has a limit 
which bears relation to his age, constitution, health and habits, and 
that indigestion is a consequence of exceeding this limit. Different 
kinds of food are also differently adapted to different constitutions. 
Dyspepsia may be brought on by eating irregularly, by allowing too 
long an interval between meals, and by eating too often. Frequently 
the meals are not gauged as to their relative amount, or distributed 
with a due regard for health. Thus, when we go out after taking a 
light breakfast and keep at our work, with a still lighter lunch only 
during the interval, till evening, we are apt, with the solid meal which 
tempts us to indulgence, to put the stomach to a harder test than it 
can bear. " When a light breakfast is eaten, a solid meal is requisite 



WJIA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO IV. 127 

in the middle of the day. When the organs are left too long unemploy- 
ed they secrete an excess of mucus which greatly interferes with di- 
gestion. One meal has a direct influence on the next; a poor breakfast 
leaves the stomach over-active for dinner. The point to bear in mind 
is, that not to eat a sufficiency at one meal makes you too hungry for 
the next; and that, when you are too hungry, you are apt to overload 
the stomach and give the gastric juices more to do than they have the 
power to perform. Persons who eat one meal too quickly on another 
must likewise expect the stomach finally to give notice that it is imposed 
upon. Other provocatives of dyspepsia are imperfect mastication, 
smoking and snuff-taking, which occasions a waste of saliva — although 
some people find that smoking assists digestion, if done in- moder- 
ation — sitting in positions that cramp the stomach, and the pressure 
that is inflicted on the stomach by the tools of sometrades, as of 
curriers, shoemakers, and weavers. The general symptoms of dys- 
pepsia are well known. Some that deserve special remark are fancies 
that the limbs Or hands are distorted, mental depression, extreme 
nervousness, hyprochrondria and other affections of the mind. The 
cure is to be sought in avoiding the food and habits by which dys- 
pepsia are promoted, and using and practicing those which are found 
to agree best with the system of the subject. Regularity in the hours 
of meals cannot be too strongly insisted on. The stomach should not 
be disappointed when it expects to be replenished. If disappointed, 
even a diminished amount of food will be taken, without appetite, 
which causes the secretions to injure the stomach, or else impairs its 
muscular action." 

Dyspepsia or Nervous Debility — to cure. — Change your diet and 
manner of living, drink neither tea or coffee, never drink at meal times, 
after meal, or during the meal, dissolve half a teaspoonful or more of 
cayenne pepper in half a glassful of milk and drink it, eat plain food; 
never taste pastry of any kind. If you are troubled with sleepless nights, 
do not try to promote sleep by taking stimulants or opiates, they do 
more harm than good, take a sponge bath just before retiring, and if 
you are unable to do it yourself, get some one to rub you well with a 
coarse towel; if you wake in the night and cannot get to sleep again, 
get up at once, not lie until you get nervous thinking about it; take a 
foot bath; rub your limbs well to get up a circulation; drink a glass of 
cold water. Do not expect to cure yourself in one weeks' time; have 
patience, and try one month. In bathing, use your hands to apply 
the water, it is much better than a sponge; soften the water with borax, 
it is more invigorating than salt water. 

Dyspepsia — remedy for. — Powdered rhubarb, sixty grains; bi- 
carbonate of soda, half an ounce; powdered ginger, sixty grains; oil 
of anise seed, twenty drops. Make up these ingredients into twelve 
powders. Take a powder morning and evening. 

Earache — specific for. — Olive oil, one ounce; chloroform, one 
grain. Mix and shake well together, then pour twenty-five or thirty 
drops in the ear, and close it up with a piece of raw cotton to exclude 



128 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

the air and retain the mixture. The remedy I can truly say is a 
specific in earache. It acts promptly and efficiently. 

Earache — to cure. — Generally heat is the best remedy. Apply a 
warm poultice or warm oil to the ear. Rub the back of the ear with 
warm laudanum. In case of a fetid discharge, carefully syringe the 
ear with warm milk and water. In all cases keep the ear thoroughly 
cleansed. Relief is often given by rubbing the back of the ear with a 
little hartshorn and water. 

Earache — remedies for. — i. Put some live coals in an iron pan, 
sprinkle with brown sugar, invert a funnel over it, and put the tube in 
the ear. The smoke gives almost instant relief. 

2. Carbolic acid diluted with warm water and poured into the ear is 
a sovereign cure for earache. 

3. Take equal parts of chloroform and laudanum, dip a piece of 
cotton into the mixture and introduce into the ear, and cover up and 
get to sleep as soon as possible. 

4. Four drops of oil of amber, and two drams of oil of sweet al- 
monds. Four drops of this mixture to be applied to the part affected. 

5. For earache, dissolve asafetida in water; warm a few drops 
and drop in the ear, then cork the ear with wool. 

6. Cotton wool wet with sweet oil and laudanum often relieves ear- 
ache, it is said. 

Ear-wax — deficiency of. — Deafness is sometimes the consequence 
of a morbidly dry state of the inner passages of the ear, the ear-wax 
being deficient and hard and dry. In such cases introduce a bit of 
cotton wool dipped in an equal mixture of oil of turpentine and oil of 
almonds, or in the liniment of carbonate of ammonia. 

Earthenware — to prevent cracking. — Before using new earthen- 
ware, place in a boiler with cold water, and heatgradually till it boils; 
then let it remain till the water is cold. It v/ill not be liable to crack 
if treated in this manner. 

Easter Eggs — to dye. — In Paris, where more than a million of 
these eggs are sold during the season, the red ones, which are the 
favorites, are dyed by boiling (not violently, however), about five 
hundred at a time, packed in a basket, in a decoction of logwood, 
and then adding some alum to convert the violet color to red. Vari- 
ous aniline dyes are also used for a similar purpose. 

Economical Hints. — Look carefully to your expenditures. No 
matter what comes in, if more goes out, you will always be poor. 
The art is not in making money, but in keeping it; little expenses, 
like mice in a barn, when they are many, make great waste. Hair 
by hair, heads get bald; straw by straw, the thatch goes off the cot- 
tage; and drop by drop the rain comes in the chamber. A barrel is 
soon empty if the tap leaks but a drop a minute. When you mean to 
save, begin with your mouth; many thieves pass down the red lane. 
The ale jug is a great waste. In all other things keep within com- 
pass. Never stretch your legs farther than the blanket will reach, or 
you will soon take cold. In clothes, choose suitable and lasting stuff 



WIIA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 129 

and not tawdry fineries. To be warm is the main thing; never mind 
looks, A fool may make money, but it needs a wise man to spend it. 
Remember, it is easier to build two chimneys than to keep one going. 
If you give all to back and board, there is nothing left for the savings 
bank. Fare hard and work hard when you are young, and you will 
have a chance to rest when you are old. 

Eggs — several ways to keep. — i. Eggs may be kept for an in- 
definite time if packed when quite fresh in boxes with rock al^in in 
shape like rock salt. Put in a thick layer of alum, then the eggs, 
small end down cover with alum around and over them, and keep in 
a cool, dry place. 

2. Slake fresh lime with boiling water, when cold, thin with 
cold water to the thickness of cream. Pack the eggs small end 
down, in a barrel or in stone jars, then pour on the cold white- 
wash, covering the eggs. Care must be used in taking them out, as 
they are easily cracked. This has been used with success for forty 
years. 

3. Three gallons of water, one pint fresh slaked lime, one-half 
pint salt. Use perfectly fresh eggs with sound shells. If more lime 
is put in it eats the shell; if more salt, it hardens the yolks. Put 
them in carefully, they will keep perfectly good for a year or more. 

4. Hold perfectly fresh eggs in boiling water while counting six. A 
Vire basket can be used for this purpose. Be sure to have water 
enough to entirely cover the eggs. Let them dry and cool, then pack 
in oats. Put a layer of oats on the bottom of the keg or barrel suf- 
ficient to support the eggs. Pack them closely, small end down, and 
proceed till the barrel is filled. Shake it gently to settle oats and 
eggs firmly. This method has given eggs, a year after packing, in as 
good a state of preservation as when first packed. 

5. A layer of salt is placed in the bottom of a stone jar, and the 
eggs are laid in this, the small end down; the spaces are to be filled 
with salt, and the eggs well covered, then another layer is put in, and 
so on until the jar is filled. Place the jar in a dry place, and the eggs 
will keep a year. This is one of the oldest methods of preserving 
eggs, but it may be new to some housekeepers. 

Eggs — to preserve. — Several ways of preserving eggs are. prac- 
ticed. The object is to prevent evaporation from the ^%%. Cutting 
off the air from the contents of the ^%% preserves them longer than 
with any other treatment. An e.^^ which has laid in bran even for a 
few days will smell and taste musty. Packed in lime, eggs will be i 
stained. Covered with a coat of spirit varnish, eggs have kept so 
perfectly that after the lapse of two years chickens are hatched from 
them. 

Spirit varnish for preserving eggs is made by dissolving gum shellac 
in enough alcohol to make a thin varnish. Coat each e.%% with this 
and pack, little end down, so that they cannot move, in bran, saw- 
dust or sand; the sand is best. Whatever is used for packing should 
be clean and dry. For preserving in lime, a pickle is made of the 



1 30 WIIA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

best stone lime, fine, clean salt; and water enough to make a strong 
brine, usually sixty or sixty-five gallons of water, six or eight quarts 
of salt, and a bushel of lime are used. The lime should be slaked 
with a portion of the water, the salt and the remainder of the Avater 
is added. Stir at intervals, and when the pickle is cold and the sedi- 
ment has settled, dip or draw the liquid off into the cask in which the 
eggs are to be preserved. When only a few eggs are to be pickled a 
stone jar will answer. 

Hggs — to test. — A good ^g^ will sink in a body of water; if stale, 
a body of air inside the shell will frequently cause it to float. When 
boiled, a fresh &g^ will adhere to the shell, which will have a rough 
exterior; if stale, the outside will be smooth and glassy. Looking 
through a paper tube directed toward the light, an ^^^ held to the 
end of the tube will appear translucent if fresh; but if stale it will be 
dark — almost opaque. 

Eggs (creamed). — Boil six eggs twenty minutes. Make a pint of 
nice cream gravy (boiling cream thickened with flour and seasoned with 
salt, or milk and butter thickened, if cream cannot be had.) Put a 
layer of this cream gravy over six slices of toast, laid on a hot platter. 
Cut the whites of the eggs in thin slices and lay over this, and rub 
half of the yolks through a seive over the layer of whites. Add another 
layer of whites, and another of sifted yolks, and lastly the remainder 
of the cream gravy. Set in the oven for a few minutes and serve. 

Eggs — to color. — Take some of the narrowest colored ribbon, and 
bind it closely and neatly round the eggs, covering all parts, and secur- 
ing the ends, so that the ribbon does not get loose. This may be done 
with a needle and thread, or by tucking the ends well in. The same 
egg may be bound with pieces of different colored ribbon, so as to vary 
the appearance. Boil the eggs thus bound for ten minutes. When 
cold, remove the ribbons, and the coloring will be left on the shells. 
The eggs may now be varnished, which will add much to the beauty 
of their appearance. 

Eggs — ways of cooking. — For an omelet, which is a favorite dish 
with many excellent cooks, use this rule: Beat the yolks of six eggs 
and the whites of three till they are very light; take one teacup of 
cream, if you can get it (milk will answer if you cannot); mix with it 
very smoothly one tablespoonful of flour, add salt and pepper as you 
please; heat your frying-pan and melt in it a large spoonful of butter; 
when hot pour the eggs and cream in, and set in a quick oven. When 
it is thick enough — which is a matter of taste — pour over it the whites 
of three eggs, which are beaten to a stiff froth. Let it brown slightly, 
and then slip it out in a hot dish; this must be done very carefully, so 
that the whites of the eggs will be on the top. This dish may be 
varied by beating the six eggs together, and then adding the cream, 
etc. A good rule as to quantity is to use one ^^^ for a person. One 
of the best ways, if not the very best, to cook eggs is to pour boiling 
water into a basin, set it on the hearth cf the stove, or on the tank, and 
put the eggs into it; let them remain in it for five minutes; the ^^^ 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 131 

will be cooked enough to be delicious, it will digest easily, and in this 
way the wonderful elements which go to make up the ^^^ are best 
presented. When done, break and drop on slices of buttered toast, 
or put in egg-cups in which you have first put a little lump of butter! 

Eg&s (baked). — Put saucers in the oven for a few minutes to heat, 
then put into each one a small piece of butter, and cover the saucer 
with it. Break two eggs into each saucer, put into the oven a few 
minutes until the whites are set, and serve in the saucers. They are 
very nice. 

Another way: Break eight eggs into a well buttered dish, put in 
pepper and salt, bits of butter and three tablespoonfuls of cream; set 
in oven and bake about twenty minutes; serve very hot. 
^ Eggs — a la creme. — Hard boil twelve eggs, and slice them in thin 
rings. In the bottom of a deep baking dish spread bits of butter, then 
a layer of bread crumbs, and then a layer of boiled eggs. Cover with 
bits of butter, and sprinkle with pepper and salt. Continue thus to 
blend these ingredients until the dish is full or nearly so. Crumbs 
over which bits of butter are spread, must cover all of these bits of 
eggs, and over the whole mixture a pint of sweet cream or sweet milk 
must be poured, before it is baked in a moderately heated oven. 

Eggs — time required to boil. — In three minutes an ^g^ will boil 
soft, in four, the white part is completely cooked, in ten, it is fit for a 
salad. Try their freshness in cold water those that sink the soonest 
are the freshest. 

Eggs — to beat. — To beat the whites of eggs quickly, put in a pinch 
of salt. The cooler the eggs the quicker they will froth. Salt cools 
and also freshens them. 

Egg-nog^ — to make. — To make a quart take three eggs, nearly a 
pint of good fresh milk, sugar and spice to suit the taste. Put these 
in a pitcher, add hot water to make a quart, then stir, or change from 
one vessel to another until completely mixed, then add a wineglassful 
or more of the best whisky. Wine may be used instead of whisky. 
The eggs and sugar must be thoroughly beaten before being put with 
the hot water. 

Eggs (for the nest). — Use only good sized eggs, with strong 
shells. Make in the small end a hole about an eighth of an inch 
across, and in the other end a half inch hole. By blowing through 
the smaller hole, the contents of the shell will be driven out. Plaster 
of Paris is mixed with water, thin enough to pour. The shells are to 
be filled with this, using a spoon to fill them if necessary. When the 
shells are full, they are set aside for twenty-four hours. Trim off any 
superfluous plaster with a knife. These eggs are in appearance ex- 
actly like real eggs, and being heavy, are not thrown out of the nest. 

Egg-plant — ways to cook. — i. Slice the fruit crosswise, about 
half an inch thick, peel and stack up with a sprinkling of salt between 
the slices, put a plate with a weight, a flat-iron will answer, on top, 
or lay the slices in strong salt and water. The object in either case 
is to remove a slight bitterness. At the end of two hours dry the 



132 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

slices on a cloth, and dip in a thin batter of ^^^ and flour, and fry to 
a light brown. Instead of the butter, dip first in beaten ^%^ and then 
in cracker powder. Serve hot. 

2. Pare and boil until soft, then mash, and season with salt and 
pepper to taste; make into thin cakes, dip in the beaten ^^^ and 
cracker dust, and fry in hot lard. 

3. Slice the egg-plant at least half an inch thick, pare each piece 
carefully, and lay it in salt and water, putting a plate upon the top- 
most to keep it under the brine, and let them alone for an hour or 
more. Wipe each slice, dip in beaten ^%%, then in cracker-crumbs, 
and fry in hot lard until well done and nicely browned. 

Eggs (Pickled). — Boil eggs hard, and then divest them of their 
shells. Put them in a jar, and pour on them scalding vinegar flavored 
with ginger, garlic, white pepper, and allspice. This pickle is cap- 
ital with cold meat. 

Eggs in Surprise. — Take six fresh eggs, boil quite hard; take off 
as much of the top as will make each stand upright; take out all the 
yolks, and leave them to cool; also some part of the white, so as not 
to break them; pound the yolks with some cooked chicken or rabbits 
— they do not require much. Mix salt, pepper, and a little mace 
with the yolk of one unboiled ^%g, then pound all together. Take 
the shells off the whites carefully, fill the eggs with the pounded meat, 
place them in a stew-pan with points upward, in some good stock. 
After boiling for a few minutes take them carefully out, pouring the 
hot gravy over them; serve hot. This is an inexpensive dish, and 
looks nice. 

Eggs — substitute for. — It is not generally known that boiled car- 
rots, when properly treated, form an excellent substitute for eggs in 
pudding. They must, for this purpose, be boiled and mashed and 
pressed through a coarse cloth or hair sieve ^trainer. The pulp is 
then introduced among the other ingredients of the pudding, to the 
total omission of eggs. A pudding made in this way is much lighter 
than where eggs are used, and is much more palatable. On the 
principle of economy, this fact is worthy of the prudent housewife's 
attention. 

Eggs (Scrambled). — Many use only eggs with butter and salt for 
this dish — for four eggs, one tablespoonful of butter. Melt the but- 
ter and turn in the beaten eggs, and stir quickly one or two minutes 
over a hot fire. A common practice is to increase the quantity with- 
out impairing the quality by adding milk — a small cupful to six eggs, 
and a tablespoonful of butter with salt and pepper as preferred. Stir 
these ingredients over a hot fire, putting in the butter first, until the 
whole thickens. It should be soft and creamy when done. It is very 
fine served on toast. 

Eggs — how to increase production. — In the winter and early 
spring, to keep up ^^% production; the fowls must have something to 
work on. The best way to supply them, if there is not enough of 
waste meat sc;£^^ps from the breeder's table to meet the required de- 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHOULD KNO W. 133 

mand, is to get scraps from the butcher or slaughter house. The 
waste meat, offal, and the bloody pieces which are unsalable can be 
bought for a cent or two a pound. The best way to utilize these 
scraps and to render them more digestible and nutritious is to cut 
them into fine pieces, put them into a boiler with plenty of water and 
boil them until the bones separate from the flesh. Then stir corn- 
meal into it until it makes a thick mush, season with salt and pepper, 
and cook till done. Feed this when cold to the poultry and they 
will eat it with evident relish, and you have a most excellent food 
which will keep during cold weather. 

Eggs in Winter. — If hens have been carefully fed during the 
moulting season their owner may fairly expect a crop of eggs when 
the price is highest, usually about or little after the holidays. One 
of the most stimulating foods is bran liberally dosed with pepper and 
mixed with skim-milK. In cold weather corn or other grain should 
be added. The best method re to mix with their food, every other 
day, about a teaspoonful of ground Cayenne pepper to each dozen 
fowls. While upon this subject, it would be well to say, that if your 
hens lay soft eggs, or eggs without shells, you should put plenty of 
old plaster, egg-shells, or even oyster-shells broken up, where they 
can get at it. 

Electro-plating — gold solution for. — Dissolve five pennyweights 
■gold coin, five grains pure copper, and four grains pure silver in 
three ounces nitro-muriatic acid, which is simply two parts muriatic 
acid and one part nitric acid. The silver will not be taken into solu- 
tion as are the other two metals, but will gather at the bottom of the 
vessel. Add one ounce pulverized sulphate of iron, one-half ounce 
pulverized borax, twenty-five grains pure table salt, and one quart 
hot rain-water. Upon this the gold and copper will be thrown to the 
bottom of the vessel with the silver. Let it stand till fully settled, 
then pour off the liquor very carefully, and refill with boiling rain- 
water as before. Continue to repeat this operation until the precipi- 
tate is thoroughly washed; or, in other words, fill up, let settle, and 
pour off so long as the accumulation at the bottom of the vessel is acid 
to the taste. You now have about an eighteen carat chloride of gold. 
Add to it an ounce and an eighth of cyanuret potassa, and one quart 
of rain-water — the latter heated to the boiling point. Shake up well, 
then let it stand about twenty-four hours, and it will be ready for use. 
Some use platina as an alloy instead of silver, under the impression 
that plating done with it is harder. I have used both, but never 
could see much difference. Solution for a dark colored plate to 
imitate Guinea gold may be made by adding to the above one ounce 
dragon's blood and five grains iodide of iron. If you desire an alloy- 
ed plate, proceed as first directed, without the silver or copper, and 
with an ounce and a half of sulphuret potassa in place of the iron, 
borax, and salt. 

Embalming — new method of. — Mix together five pounds dry sul- 
phate of alumine, one quart of warm water, and one hundred grains 



134 W'^^^ T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

of arsenious acid. Inject three or four quarts of this mixture into all 
the vessels of the human body. This applies as well to all animals, 
birds, fishes, etc. This process supercedes the old and revolting 
mode, and has been introduced into the great anatomical schools of 
Paris. 

Emetic (Prompt-acting). — The ingredients are: Tartar emetic, one 
grain; powdered ipecac, twenty grains. Take the above in a wine- 
glassful of sweetened water. 

Engravings — to clean. — It frequently happens that fine engrav- 
ings, despite the care taken of them, will in some unaccountable 
manner become stained and dirty to such an extent as to seriously 
impair their beauty. To those who own engravings that have been 
injured in this way, a simple recipe for cleaning them will prove of 
value. Put the engraving on a smooth board and cover it with a 
thin layer of common salt, finely pulverized; then squeeze lemon- 
juice upon the salt until a considef^ble portion of it is dissolved. 
After every part of the picture has been subjected to this treatment, 
elevate one end of the board, so that it will form an angle of about 
forty-five degrees with the horizon. From a teakettle or other suita- 
ble vessel pour on the engraving boiling water, until the salt and 
lemon-juice be all washed off. The engraving will then be perfectly 
clean and free from stain. It must be dried on the board, or on some 
smooth surface, gradually. If dried by the fire or sun, it will be tinged 
with a dingy, yellowish color. 

Engravings — to mount. — Look up all your engravings and nice 
wood cuts, and trim them off evenly. At the stationer's you can get 
a cheap kind of Bristol board. Cut it up into two sizes, one large, 
and the other smaller, Make a smooth paste of starch, cover the 
back of the picture with it, taking care that the edges are all wet, but 
do not put on enough so that it will squeeze out. Place it on the 
Bristol board, taking care to get it in the middle. Have a sheet fold- 
ed, and lay the picture, face downward, on it. Lay a soft, thin cloth 
over it and press it a few minutes with a hot iron, then turn it over, 
and spread on the cloth as before, and press till dry. 

Epilepsy — treatment of. — Prof. W. H. Gobrecht employed in the 
treatment of this disease the following: Sodie bromide, two ounces; 
zinc bromide, thirty-two grains; glycerine, one ounce; aqua cinna- 
monia, seven ounces. Dose, lablespoonful three times a day in a 
half wineglassful of water. This is an excellent prescription, not 
only useful in epilepsy, but in many diseases of the nervous system, 
especially when persons are sleepless and restless at night. One or 
two doses of this medicine will quiet the most excited lunatic. 

Epizootic — remedy for. — One of the, simplest remedies for the 
epizootic, it is said, is a mixture of tar and asafetida, ten drops of 
which are given twice a day in the feed. Beside this a warm bran 
mash once a day is recommended. 

Erupsions, Pimples, etc. — cure for. — Having in numberless in- 
stances seen the good effects of the following prescription, I can cer- 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W, 135 

tify to its perfect remedy: Dilute corrosive sublimate with the oil of 
almonds; apply it to the face occasionally, and in a few days a cure 
will be effected. 

Erysipelas — treatment of. — Erysipelas is a peculiar, unpleasant, 
and frequently a fatal disease, particularly so when it reaches the 
brain. There is no doubt but that erysipelas is infectious and inoc- 
ulable; its power of infection, however, is not very great, and can 
easily be prevented by careful observance of hygienic laws. The 
most common form of the disease is the simple cutaneous, and this is 
the kind upon which we shall endeavor to enlighten our readers. It 
effects all ages and both sexes, but more frequently females. It ap- 
pears as a peculiar spreading but circumscribed redness of the skin 
with inflammation and somewhat elevated condition, and is always 
attended with fever. The symptoms of the disease are aching and 
soreness of the limbs; chills, alternating with flushes, sickness at the 
stomach, vomiting, restlessness, weakness, appearance of eruption on 
second or third day or earlier, and the disease is most dangerous in 
face and scalp. 

The treatment should be quite generally tonic, the food light, but 
nutritious, beef-tea, eggs, milk, cream, etc., and some stimulants may 
be advantageously used. Internally, give the patient thirty drops 
tincture of perchloride of iron every four hours; or, what is better 
still, give the following: 

Iron and citrate quinine, forty grains; strichnine, one-eighth of a 
grain, made into twenty pills. Give one pill every six hours; then 
paint the surface over carefully five or six times a day with collodion, 
one dram; castor oil two ounces. Use with camel's-hair brush. Af- 
ter the inflammatory symptoms have subsided, the patient can have a 
a little brandy two or three times a day, and good, generous diet. 

Erysipelas — cure. — One pint of sweet milk and a handful of poke- 
berry roots. This is a sure cure. 

Essences — to make. — Essences are made with one ounce of any 
given oil, added to one pint alcohol. Peppermints are colored with 
tincture turmeric; cinnamon with tincture of redsanders; wintergreen 
with tincture kino. 

Essence — from flowers. — Procure a quantity of the petals of any 
flowers which have an agreeable fragrance; card thin layers of cotton, 
which dip into the finest Florence or Lucca oil; sprinkle a small 
quantity of fine salt on the flowers alternately until an earthen vessel 
or wide-mouthed glass bottle is full. Tie the top close with a bladder, 
then lay the vessel in a south aspect to the heat of the sun, and in 
fifteen days, when uncovered, a fragrant oil may be squeezed away, 
leaving a whole mass quite equal to the high-priced essences. 

Essence from Flowers — how to extract. — Take any flowers you 
choose; place a layer in a clean earthen pot, and over them a layer of 
fine salt. Repeat the process until the pot is filled; cover closely, and 
place in the cellar. Forty days afterwards, strain the essence from 
the whole through a crape by pressure. Put the essence thus express- 



136 WHA T E VER Y ONE SHOULD KNO W. 

ed in a clear bottle, and expose it for six weeks in the rays of the sun 
and evening dew, to purify. One drop of this essence will communi- 
cate its odor to a pint of water. 

Essence cf Roses. — Take four parts of clean fresh leaves of rose 
flowers — damask roses are best — put them into a still with twelve 
parts of water. Distil off one-half; repeat the process, and when a 
sufficient quantity of this liquid has been obtained, it must be used as 
water upon fresh rose-leaves, and the same process must be con- 
tinued four or five times until the quantity desired is obtained. If 
carefully done, this essence will be very powerful. 

Essential Oil from Wood, Barks, Roots, Herbs, etc. — Take 
balm, mint, sage or any other herb, etc., put it into a bottle, and pour 
upon it a spoonful of ether; keep in a cool place a few hours, and 
then fill the bottle with cold water; the essential oil will swim upon 
the surface and may be easily separated. 

Etching on Glass. — Druggists' bottles, bar-tumblers, signs, and 
glassware of ever description, can be lettered in a beautiful style of 
art, by simply giving the article to be engraved, or etched, a thin coat 
of engraver's varnish and the application of fluoric acid. Before do- 
ing so, the glass must be thoroughly cleaned and heated, so that it 
can hardly be held. The varnish is then to be applied lightly over, 
and made smooth by dabbing it with a small ball of silk, filled with 
cotton. When dry and even, the lines may be traced on it by a sharp 
steel, cutting clear through the varnish to the glass. The varnish 
must be removed clean from each letter, otherwise it will be an im- 
perfect job. When all is ready, pour on or apply the fluoric acid 
with a feather, filling each letter. Let it remain until it etches to the 
required depth, then wash off with water, and remove the varnish. 

Etching Varnish. — Take of virgin wax and asphaltum, each two 
ounces; of black pitch and Burgundy, each one-half ounce; melt the 
wax and pitch in a new earthenware glazed pot, and add to them, by 
degrees, the asphaltum, finely powdered. Let the whole boil, sim- 
mering gradually, till such time as, taking a drop upon a plate, it will 
break when it is cold, or bending it double two or three times be- 
tween the fingers. The varnish, being then boiled enough, must be 
taken off the fire, and, after it cools a little, must be poured into warm 
water that it may work the more easily with the hands, so as to be 
formed into balls, which must be kneaded, and put into a piece of 
taffety for use. The sand blast is now in extensive use for ornament- 
ing on glass. 

Eyes (Bad) — to cure. — Dissolve two cents' worth of refined white 
copperas in a pint of spring water and put it into a bottle. Wash the 
eyes in v>rarm water and bathe them with the above lotion. Be care- 
ful that none of the lotion gets into the mouth, as it is poison. 

Eye — how to remove a mote from. — To remove a mote from the 
eye, take a horsehair and double it, leaving a loop. If the mote can 
be seen, lay the loop over it, close the eye, and the mote will come 
out as the hair is withdrawn. If the irritating object cannot be seen. 



V^HA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W, 137 

raise the lid of the eye and roll the ball around a few times; draw out 
the hair; the substance which caused so much pain will be sure to 
come with it. This method is practiced by ax-makers and other 
workers in steel. 

Eyes (Inflamed) — treatment of. — Borax, half a dram; camphor 
water, three ounces. The above simple prescription is in common 
use by the highest medical authorities. It makes a wash unexcelled 
for the treatment of inflammation of the eyes. In using it lean the 
head back and drop three drops in the corner of each, and then open 
the eyes and let it work in. Use it as often as the eyes feel badly. 

Eye Lotion. — Acetate of zinc, one-half dram; distilled water, six- 
teen ounces. Mix, and apply the lotion to the eyes with a piece of 
soft rag. 

Eye Lotioa — useful in cases of sore eyes. — Three tablespoonfuls 
of cold spring water, four drops of Goulard extract, two drops of 
laudanum, fifteen drops of brandy. Mix these in a bottle, and bathe 
the eyes with a piece of soft sponge saturated with the mixture. 

Eyelids (Inflammation of). — The following ointment has been 
found very beneficial in inflammation of the eyeball and edges of the 
eyelids: Take of prepared calomel, one scruple; spermaceti oint- 
ment, one-half ounce; mix them well together in a glass mortar; ap- 
ply a small quantity to each corner of the eye every night and morn- 
ing, and also to the edges of the lids if they are affected. If this 
should not eventually remove the inflammation, elder-flower water 
may be applied three or four times a day, by means of an eye-cup. 
The bowels should be kept in a laxative state, by taking occasionally 
one-quarter ounce of Epsom salts. 

Eyesight — to prolong the use of. — Sooner or later our eyesight 
must become impaired. When beginning to use glasses, use them as 
short a time as possible, only in deficient light, or on minute objects. 
By a judicious attention to these two points, the ageing of the sight 
will be retarded years. And as reading is one of the luxuries of the 
age, and one of its most delightful pastimes, we cannot be too care- 
ful of the eyesight, and should study how to husband its powers. 

Eyesight — to strengthen. — Let there be an occasional pressure of 
the finger on the ball of the eye. Let the pressure always be from 
the nose and toward the temples, and wash the eyes three times a day 
in cold water. If this simple advice is followed the day is not far 
distant when partial blindness shall disappear from the world. 

Eyes (Sore) — prescription for. — Sulphate of zinc, three grains; 
tincture of opium (laudanum), one dram; rose water, two ounces; 
mix. Put a drop or two in the eye two or three times daily. 

2. Sulphate of zinc, acetate of lead, and rock salt, of each one-half 
ounce; loaf sugar, one ounce; soft water, twelve ounces; mix without 
heat, and use as other eye waters. If sore eyes shed much water, put 
a little of the oxide of zinc into a phial of water, and use it rather 
freely. This will soon effect a cure. Copperas and water has cured 
sore eyes of long standing; and used quite strong, it makes an excel- 



138 WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD A'A'OIV. 

lent application in erysipelas. Alum and the white of an egg is 
good. 

Eyes (Sore) — wash for. — Dissolve sixteen grains of acetate of 
zinc in half a pint of soft water (rose water is best), and apply it to 
the eyes several times a day. 

Eye Water for Horses and Cattle. — Alcohol, one tablespoonful; 
extract of lead, one teaspoonful; rain water, one-half pint. 

Eyes — to cure weakness. — Sulphate of copper, fifteen grains; 
camphor, four grains; boiling water, four ounces; mix, strain, and 
when cold, make up to four pints with water; bathe the eye night and 
morning with a portion of the mixture. 

Eyes (Weak) — remedies for. — i. When the eyes are weakened or 
distressed by overexertion, few remedies will be found more effectual 
than bathing them every morning with clean spring water, in which 
has been placed just sufficient brandy to make the mixture cause a 
slight stinging sensation when applied to the eyes. Thi§ weak 
brandy-and-water lotion may be kept ready mixed in a bottle. 
Another useful eye water is made by mixing forty drops of laudanum 
with two tablespoonfuls of milk, and the same quantity of water. 

2. There is no better recipe for curing weak eyes, it is said, than 
cold water. Sluice plentifully, not only the eyes, but the ears, es- 
pecially the orifice. 

Facts Worth Knowing. — That salt fish are quickest and best 
freshened by soaking in sour milk. 

That cold rain water and soap will remove machine grease from 
washable fabrics. 

That fish may be scalded much easier by first dipping them into 
boiling water for a minute. 

That fresh meat, beginning to sour, will sweeten if placed out of 
doors in the cool air over night. 

That milk which has changed may be sweetened or rendered fit for 
use again by stirring in a little soda. 

That boiling starch is much improved by the addition of sperm or 
salt, or both, or a little gum arable, dissolved. 

That a tablespoonful of turpentine, boiled with your white clothes, 
will greatly aid the whitening process. 

That kerosene will soften boots and shoes that have been hardened 
by water, and will render them pliable as new. 

That clear boiling water will remove tea stains. Pour the water 
through the stain, and thus prevent its spreading over the fabric- 

That salt will curdle new milk, hence in preparing milk porridge, 
gravies, etc., the salt should not be added until the dish is prepared. 

That kerosene will make your tea-kettle as bright as new. Satu- 
rate a woolen rag and rub with it. It will also remove stains from 
the clean varnished furniture. 

That blue ointment and kerosene, mixed in equal proportions and 
applied to beadsteads, is an unfailing bug remedy, and that a coat of 
whitewash is ditto for a log house. 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO IV. 1 39 

That beeswax and salt will make your rusty flat-irons as clean and 
as smooth as glass. Tie a lump of wax, in a rag and keep it for that 
purpose. When the irons are hot rub them first with the wax rag, 
then scour them with a paper or cloth sprinkled with salt. 

Facades (Stone) — to clean. — It has been ascertained that the jet 
of water thrown from a steam fire-engine has the power of removing 
the discoloration produced by the smoke, without injuring the face of 
the stone. The work is done from the ground, the force of the stream 
thrown by the steam fire-engine being quite sufficient to effect the 
necessary cleansing. 

Farm Implements — to prevent decay of. — When not in use have 
them sheltered from the sun, wind, rain, and snow. By this means 
sleighs, wagons, carts, ploughs, threshing-machines, harrows, and the 
like, would last twice as long as they would if left in the open air, 
swelling from moisture one week, and shrinking the next from the 
influence of the sun and wind. 

Feathers — to wash and curl. — Wash in warm soap-suds and rinse 
in water a very little blued, if the feather is white, then let the wind 
dry it. When the curl has come out by washing the feather or get- 
ting it damp, place a hot flat-iron so that you can hold the feather 
just above it while curling. Take a bone or silver knife and draw 
the fibers of the feather between the thumb and the dull edge of the 
knife, taking not more than three fibers at a time, beginning at the 
point of the feather and curling one-half the other way. The hot iron 
makes the curl more durable. After a little practice, one can make 
them look as well as new feathers. When swans down becomes 
soiled it can be washed and look as well as new. Tack strips on a 
piece of muslin and wash in warm water with white soap, then rinse 
and hang in the wind to dry. Rip from the muslin and rub carefully 
between the fingers to soften the leather. 

Feathers — to dye different colors. — Black. — Immerse for two or 
three days in a bath, at first hot, of logwood, eight parts, and copperas 
or acetate of iron, one part. 

Blue. — With the indigo vat. 

Brown. — By using any of the brown dyes for silk or woolen. 

Crimson. — A mordant of alum, followed by a hot bath of Brazil 
wood, afterwards by a weak dye of cudbear. 

Pink or Rose. — With saf-flower, or lemon juice. 

Plum. — With the red dye, followed by an alkaline bath. 

Red. — A mordant of alum, followed by a bath of Brazil-wood. 

Yellow. — A mordant of alum, followed by a bath of turmeric or 
weld. 

Green. — Take of verdigris and verditer, of each one ounce; gum 
water, one pint; mix them well and dip the feathers (they having been 
first soaked in hot water) into the said mixture. 

Purple. — Use lake and indigo. 

Carnation. — Vermilion and smalt. Thin gum or starch water 
should be used in dying feathers. 



MO WI/A T E VER Y ONE SlfO ULD KNO W. 

Febrifuge Wine. — Quinine, twenty-five grains; water, one pint; 
sulphuric acid, fifteen drops; epsom salts, two ounces; color with 
tincture of red sandcrs. Dose: A wine j^lass three times per day. 
This is a world-renowned medicine. 

Feetache — panacea for. — When your work is finished sit down 
with your feet in as hot water as can be borne, adding water if con- 
venient for as long a time as possible. Three or four times will 
effect a cure, and you will not be troubled again in a good while. 

Feet (Cold) — cure for. — Use a foot-bath each night of cold water, 
with two i)oun(ls of fuller's earth dissolved in water. 

Feet (Blistered) — remedy for. — A good remedy for feet blistered 
from long walking: Rub the feet, at going to bed, with spirits mixed 
with tallow dropped from a lighted candle into the i)alm of the hand. 

Felons, Boils — simple remedy for. — Felons, which are usually 
termed " Whitlow " by physicians, are a very painful and often a very 
serious affection of the fingers, generally of the last joints, and often 
near or involving the nails. As the fingers are much exposed to 
bruises, felons are quite common among those who constantly use 
their hands at hard work. If allowed to continue until matter (pus) 
forms, and the periosteum or bone sheathing is affected, lancing is 
necessary; but if taken in time, a simple application of copal varnish, 
covering it with a bandage, is highly reccmimended. If the varnish 
becomes dry and unpleasantly hard, a little fresh varnish may be ap- 
plied from time to time. When a cure is effected, the varnish is easily 
removed by rubbing into it a little lard atul washing with soap and 
Avater. Dr. A. B. Isham suggests the use of copal varnish for felons, 
" run-arounds," boils, and any local acute inflammation of external 
parts. 

Felon — cure for. — The London I.aucct gives tnc following cure for 
bonc-fclon: " As soon as the disease is felt, put directly over the spot 
a fly-blister about the si/e of yt>ur thumb nail, and let it remain for 
six hours, at the expiration of which time, directly under the surface 
of the blister may be seen the felon, which can be instantly taken out 
with the point of a needle or a lancet." 

Felons - remedies for. — i. Take a skunk lily root, grate it with a 
coarse grater, moisten with water, change twice a day. Skunk lily, 
or toad lily, as some call it, grows in wet land and has a yellow flower 
with black spots on the leaves. 

2. The pith from the backbone of a calf. Change twice a day. 

3. Keep the sore wet with tincture of lobelia. Either of the above 
remedies will cure a felon. 

4. If lobelia can not be conveniently obtained, rock salt pulverized, 
after being drieil in an oven and mixetl with an equal part of turpen- 
tine and applied frequently, will destroy a felon in twenty-four 
hours. 

Felons— if recent, to cure in six hours. — Venice turpentine, one 
ounce; and put into it half a teaspoonful oi water, and stir with a 
rough stick until the mass looks like candied honey; then spread a 



WIIA T E VER Y ONE SIIO ULD KNO W. 141 

good coat on a cloth, and wrap around the finger. If the case is only- 
recent, it will remove the pain in six hours. 

Felon Salve. — A salve made by burning one teaspoonful of cop- 
peras, then pulverizing it and mixing it with the yolk of an &^%, is 
said to relieve the pain, and cure the felon in twenty-four hours; then 
heal with cream two parts, and soft soap one part. Apply the healing 
salve daily after soaking the part in warm water. 

Felon Ointment. — Take sweet oil, one-half pint, and stew a three- 
cent plug of tobacco in it until the tobacco is crisped; then squeeze it 
out, and add red lead, one ounce, and boil until black; when a little 
cool, add pulverized camphor gum, one ounce. 

Fence Posts — to make durable. — I discovered many years ago 
that wood could be made to last longer than iron in the ground, but 
thought the process so simple and inexpensive that it was not worth 
while te make any stir about it. I would as soon have poplar, bass- 
wood, or quaking ash as any other kind of timber for fence posts. I 
have taken out basswood posts after having been set seven years, 
which were as sound when taken out as when they were first put in 
the ground. Time and weather seemed to have no effect on them. 
The posts can be prepared for less than two cents a piece. This is 
the recipe: Take boiled linseed oil and stir it in pulverized charcoal 
to the consistency of paint: Put a coat of this over the timber, and 
there is not a man that will live to see it rotten. 

Ferns — varieties and treatment. — I should like to say to the 
person who wishes to know what ferns can be grown in the house, 
that I have had for three winters, in a furnace heated parlor, very 
handsome plants of Aspidium molle and Adiantum cuneatum; and I 
have a friend who has Pteris tremula, looking as well as it could in a 
greenhouse. I also know that Pteris hastata does well in the house; 
so does the Japanese climbing fern and Lygodium scandons. All re- 
quire to be kept comfortably warm, not too wet, and seldom sprinkled 
— just often enough to keep them clean. I have found that wetting 
the foliage often causes it to turn black. 

Ferns — to preserve — I frequently see directions for bleaching 
ferns, but in the fall of the year we have no difficulty in finding them 
pretty enough without that trouble. Besides the white, there are 
straw color, pea green, and many beautiful shades of brown. Soon 
after gathering, iron them with a not too hot iron, which has been 
waxed with common yellow beeswax. If intended to frame or wanted 
to be perfectly flat, iron until dry. Frame with black velveteen or 
cloth for a background, either with or without a mat. For bouquets 
for vases or similar decorations, I think they are nicer not to be 
ironed perfectly dry; they will then be curled and drooping a little, 
much more graceful and natural; autumn leaves can be treated in the 
same way and remain on the branches if desired. 

Fern-case — to make. — This fern -case consists of three bars crossed 
at the top and fastened into a triangular base. A basket is sus[;cnded 
from the center of the case, and the base is decorated with shells, 



142 WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

acorns, or corals. The best method of making this case is to have 
the base first made of wood, then lined with zinc. The sides should 
hold glass neatly filled into the bars, thus inclosing the plants from 
the outer air. The height should be about three feet, and width of 
base two feet on each side. Any florist can supply ferns for such a 
structure. Choose only the smaller growing sorts, and avoid those 
which branch widely. 

Ferns — ornamental uses of. — Bleached skeleton ferns may be laid 
on photograph book covers, wooden trays, and blotting books, and 
varnished. They look specially well on black painted wood, when, 
if laid close together, they resemble an inlaying of ivory. A plain 
table with one drawer, makes quite a pretty writing table by staining 
it black, and then laying the ferns on a border around the top, and 
around the drawer. The ferns can also be applied to velvet frames, 
when the whole should be covered with white tulle of the finest and 
most invisible description. A blue velvet-covered board for placing 
in a. fireplace during the summer, may have a center bouquet of skele- 
ton ferns, lightly covered Avith tulle, and a border of lace quite at the 
edge. 

Fern Work. — The handsome articles that come under this head 
are made simply by pinning ferns or leaves, in any form desired, upon 
white cloth, and drawing a comb through a small brush of indelible 
ink, so that minute particles will be scattered over the cloth. Upon 
removing the ferns their impression, uncolored, is distinct. Doylies 
made in this way are charming. Paper hanging and other wall orna- 
ments are made of white paper, and spotted with common ink. Gilt 
paper can be used with fine effect. 

Fever — to cool. — For a fever patient, break ice into very small 
pieces and mix with the same quantity of lemon jelly, also cut up 
small. It is refreshing. 

Fever — to relieve. — Where a child has a simple fever from teeth- 
ing or any other cause not connected with acute disease, give a tea- 
spoonful of syrup of rhubarb, a warm injection, and sponge baths. 
These will generally be all that is needed. 

Fever and Ague — cure for. — One-half ounce spirits nitre, one-half 
ounce tincture pepper, thirty-five grains quinine, one pint of brandy. 
Take a wineglassful three times a day, one-half hour before meals. 
If for a child, give only half the quantity. 

Fever and Ague — cure. — A gentleman recently from Central 
America (a great place for the shakes) says that he has seen many 
obstinate cases cured by wearing finely pulverized rock salt between 
the feet and stockings. We cannot vouch. for the value of this remedy, 
but consider it worthy of trial. 

Fever Drink. — There is no more refreshing drink in cases of fever 
than weak green tea, with lemon juice added instead of milk. It may 
be taken cither cold or hot, but the latter is preferable. 

Fever (Scarlet) — treatment. — Keep all who have never had the 
disease away from the house. If possible, send other children away. 



WIT A T E VER V ONE SI 10 ULD KNO IV. 143 

Do not kiss the patient, and keep others from cloinj:^ so. Rubbinp^ the 
body with vaseline, or oil, will allay the itchinj:^. The patient should 
be kept in bed until the skin has done peeling, and in his room for 
two weeks longer. Keep him away from other members of the 
family for a month from the beginning of the disease. Avoid ex- 
posure to cold, and carefully obey the pliysician's orders. 

Fever (Scarlet) — treatment of. — An eminent physician says he 
cures ninety-nine out of every hundred cases of scarlet fever by giving 
the patient warm lemonade with gum arable dissolved in it. A cloth 
wrung out in hot water and laid upon the stomach should be removed 
as rapidly as it becomes cool. In cases where physicians are not 
easily obtainable, simple remedies are not to be despised. 

Fever (Scarlet). — Scarlet fever is an acute inflammation of the 
skin, both external and internal, and connected with an infectious 
fever. 

Syniptotns. — The fever shows itself between two and ten days after 
exposure. On the second day of the fever the eruption comes out 
in minute pimples, which are either clustered together, or spread over 
the surface in a general bright scarlet color. The disease begins with 
languor, pains in the head, back, and limbs, drowsiness, nausea and 
chills, followed by heat and thirst. When the redness appears, the 
pulse is quick, and the patient is restless, anxious and often delirious. 
The eyes are red, the face swollen, and the tongue covered in the 
middle with white mucus, through which are seen elevated points of 
extreme redness. The tonsils are swollen and the throat is red. 
By the evening of the third or fourth day the redness has reached its 
height, and the skin becomes moist, when the scarf-skin begins to 
come off in scales. 

In this fever the flesh puffs up so as to distend the fingers, and 
disfigure the face. As it progresses, the coating suddenly comes off 
the tongue, leaving it and the whole mouth raw and tender. The 
throat is very much swollen and inflamed, and ulcers form on the 
tonsils. The eustachian tube which extends up to the ear, the glands 
under the ear and jaw, sometimes inflame and break; and the ab- 
scesses formed in the ear frequently occasion deafness, more or less 
difficult to cure. The symptoms of this disease may be known from 
that of measles by the absence of cough, by the finer rash, by its 
scarlet color, by the rash appearing on the second instead of the 
fourth day, and by the ulceration of the throat. 

7'rcatnient. — In ordinary cases the treatment required is very simple. 
The room where the patient lies should be kept cool, and the bed- 
covering light. The whole body should be sponged with cool water as 
often as it becomes hot and dry, and cooling drinks should be admin- 
istered. A few drops of belladonna, night and morning, is all that is 
needed. 

If there is much fever and soreness of throat, give the following 
tincture of hellebore often enough to keep down the pulse: 

Tincture of American hellebore, one dram; tincture of black co- 



144 ^^'/^^-^ T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

hosh, two ounces: mix. Take one teaspoonful three to six times a 
day. 

It would also be useful to commence treatment with an emetic, 
and to soak the feet and hands in hot water containing a little 
mustard or cayenne pepper, continuing this bath twenty minutes, 
twice a day, for two or three days. The cold stage being passed, 
and the fever having set in, warm water may be used without the 
mustard or pepper. If the head is affected, put drafts upon the 
feet; and if the bowels be costive, give a mild physic. Solid food 
should not be allowed; but when the fever sets in, cooling drinks, 
such as lemonade, tamarind water, rice water, flaxseed tea, then 
gruel, or cold water may be given in reasonable quantities. To 
stimulate the skin, muriatic acid, forty-five drops in a tumbler filled 
with water and sweetened, and given in doses of a teaspoonful, is a 
good remedy. 

Where the disease is very violent, and the patient inclined to sink 
immediately; where typhoid symptoms appear and there is great 
prostration, the eruption strikes in, the skin changes to a mahogany 
color, the tongue is a deep red, or has on it a dark brown fur, and 
the ulcers in the throat become putrid, the treatment must be differ- 
ent from the above. In this case it must be tonic. Quinia must be 
given freely; and wine whey, mixed with toast water, will be useful. 
Qi.lnia is made as follows: Sulphate of quinine, one scruple; alcohol, 
four ounces; sulphuric acid; five drops; Madeira wine, one quart; 
mix. Two wineglassfuls a day. Tincture of cayenne in sweetened 
water, may be given in small doses. Gargles are also necessary. A 
good one is made of pulverized cayenne, one dram; salt, one dram; 
boiling water, one gill; mix, and let them stand fifteen minutes. Then, 
add one gill vinegar. Let it stand an hour and strain. Put a tea- 
spoonful in the child's mouth once an hour. A warm bath should 
be used daily as soon as the skin begins to peel off, to prevent 
dropsy. If dropsv sets in, the bath once in three days is sufficient, 
and sweating should be promoted by giving the tincture of Virginia 
snake-root and similar articles; a generous diet should be allowed at , 
the same time, to bring up the child's strength 

Fever (Typhoid'^ — symptoms. — It is generally preceded by several 
days of languor, low spirits, and indisposition to exertion. There is 
also usually some pain in the back and head, loss of appetite, and 
drowsiness, though not rest. The disease shows itself by a chill. 
During the first week there is increased heat of the surface, frequent 
pulse, furred tongue . restlessness, sleeplessness, headache, and pain in 
the back; sometimes diarrhoea and swelling of the belly, and some- 
times nausea and vomiting. 

The second Aveek is often distinguished by small, rose-colored spots 
on the belly, and a crop of little watery pimples on the neck and chest, 
having the appearance of minute drops of sweat; the tongue is dry 
and black, or red and sore, the teeth are foul, there may be delirium 
and dullness of hearing, and symptoms every way are more serious 



WHA r E VER V ONE SHOULD KNO W. 145 

than during the first week. Occasionally, the bowels at this period 
are perforated or eaten through by ulceration, and the patient sud- 
denly sinks. If the disease proceeds unfavorably into the third wtek, 
there is low, muttering delirium, great exhaustion, sliding down of 
the patient toward the foot of the bed, twitching of the muscles, bleed- 
ing of the bowels, and red or purple spots upon the skin; if, on the 
other hand, the patient improves, the countenance brightens up, the 
pulse moderates, the tongue cleans, and the discharges look healthy. 

Trcatmoit. — Give the patient good air, and frequent spongings with 
water, cold or tepid, as most agreeable. Keep the bowels in order, 
and be more afraid of diarrhoea than costiveness. Diarrhoea should 
be restrained by a little brandy, or by repeated doses of Dover's 
powder. For costiveness, give mild injections, made slightly loosen- 
ing by castor oil, or common molasses. To keep down the fever, and 
produce perspiration, give tincture of veratrum viride, ten drops 
every hour. If the bowels are swelled, relieve them by hot fomenta- 
tions of hops and vinegar. If the pain in the head is very severe and 
constant, let the hair be cut short, and the head bathed frequently 
with cold water. Give light nourishment, and if the debility is great, 
broth and wine will be needed. Cleanse the mouth with very weak 
tea — old hyson. If the fever runs a low course, and the patient is 
very weak, quinine may be given from the beginning. Constant care 
and good nursing are very important. 

Typhus fever is distinguished from typhoid by there being no 
marked disease of the bowels in typhus. 

Fig Paste — ho-w to make. — Take twelve pounds of wheat starch, 
and one hundred pounds of "A" sugar, or in that proportion; to 
that amount of sugar add half an ounce to one ounce of acetic acid, 
after the sugar is dissolved in sufficient water to thoroughly dissolve 
it; add to the starch enough water to thoroughly wet it up, and add it 
to the dissolved sugar; boil over coal fire in a copper kettle till done, 
then turn out in pans or moulds greased with beef suet. Stir con- 
stantly from the time the starch is put in till it is taken off the fire, 
or it will burn. Use a sharp-edged wood paddle to stir with. It must 
be thoroughly cooked, or it will soon become dry and hard. When 
cooked enough it remains soft, flexible and tough for months. Lem- 
on or other flavoring may be stirred in just after it is taken off of the 
fire. 

The above might be reduced down to the following proportions, 
and the " fig paste " made in a preserving kettle: Half pound of 
starch, four pounds of "A" sugar, one teaspoonful of acetic acid or 
vinegar. Flavor with a few drops of essence of vanilla. 

Founder — cured in twenty-four hours. — Boil or steam stout 
oat-straw for half an hour, then wrap it around the horse's leg quite 
hot; cover up with wet woolen rags to keep in the steam; in six hours 
renew the application, take one gallon of blood from the neck vein, 
and give one quart linseed oil. He may be worked the next day. 

Fruit (Bottled). — Bottled fruit bought at stores is so generally 



146 WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

adulterated with copper, which is a deadly poison, and which is made 
use of to give a bright green appearance to the fruit, that we would 
strongly advise all careful housekeepers to bottle fruit for themselves. 
The following is Mr. Saddington's recipe: "The fryit is to be 
gathered before it is too ripe, the bottles are to be well filled with it, 
and closely corked; they are next to be placed in a vessel containing 
cold water, which should reach as high as the necks of the bottles; 
heat is then to be applied, and the temperature raised from one hun- 
dred and sixty to one hundred and seventy degrees, and maintained 
at this for half an hour; lastly, the bottles are to be filled to within an 
inch of the corks with boiling water; they are to be well corked imme- 
diately, and laid upon their sides, so that the water may swell the 
corks, whereby the entrance of the air will be effectually prevented. 

Fruit Trees — how to protect from mice. — Take tar, one part; 
tallow, three parts; mix. Apply hot to the bark of the tree with a 
paint brush. 

Files and Rasps — to re-cut. — The worn files are first cleaned with 
potash and hot water, after which they are left for five minutes in a 
solution composed of one part of sulphuric acid and seven parts of 
water; a quantity of nitric acid equal to the sulphuric is then added to 
the solution, and as much water also, and the files are left in the solu- 
tion for about forty minutes longer. They are now ready for use, 
but, if to be stored, they must be brushed over with a little oil or 
grease to prevent rusting. The files are not allowed to touch each 
other in the solution, being supported by their tangs only. In order 
to obtain the most complete results possible, the proportions of acid 
are varied according to the size of the files; for example, for large 
files, one-sixth acid; for bastard files, one-eighth, one-ninth, to one- 
eleventh; and for the finest, oae-twelfth to one-thirteenth. 

Files — to re-sharpen. — Remove the grease and dirt from your 
files by washing them in warm potash water, then wash them in 
warm water, and dry with artificial heat; next, place one pint warm 
water in a wooden vessel, and put in your files, add two ounces of 
blue vitirol, finely pulverized, two ounces borax, well mixed, taking 
care to turn the files over, so that each one may come in contact with 
the mixture. Now add seven ounces sulphuric acid and one-quarter 
ounce cider vinegar to the above mixture. Remove the files after a 
short time, dry, sponge them with olive oil, wrap them up in porous 
paper, and put aside for use. Coarse files require to be immersed 
longer than fine. 

Filigree Work on Silver — to clean. — A toothbrush is just the 
thing for cleaning the filigree of jewelry, and will answer as well for 
silverware. 

Filling Composition for Painters and Grainers Use — (12 kinds). 
— I. Work finished in oil should receive a substantial filling consist- 
ing of equal parts by weight of whiting, plaster of Paris, pumice- 
stone, and litharge, to which may be added a little French yellow, 
asphaltum, Vandyke brown, and terra di sienna. Mix with one part 



IVHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 147 

japan, two of boiled oil, and four of turpentine. Grind fine in a mill. 
Lay the filling on with a brush, rub it in well, let it set twenty min- 
utes, then rub off clean. Let it harden for some time, rub smooth, 
and, if required, repeat the process. When the filling is all right, 
finish with linseed oil, applying with a brush, wipe off, and rub to a 
polish with fine cotton, and finish with any fine fabric. Some fill 
with rye flour, wheat flour, corn starch, Paris white, etc., ground fine 
in oil and turpentine, but when work is to be varnished, such filling 
should previously receive one or two good coats of shellac. 

2. Boiled linseed oil, one quart; turpentine, three quarts; corn 
starch, five pounds; japan, one quart; calcined magnesia, two ounces. 
Mix thoroughly. 

3. Whiting, six ounces; japan, one-half pint; boiled linseed oil, 
three-fourths pint; turpentine, one-half pint; corn starch, one ounce; 
mix well together and apply to the wood. On walnut wood add a 
little burned umber; on cherry a little Venetian red, to the above 
mixture. 

4. On furniture apply a coat of boiled linseed oil, then immediately 
sprinkle dry whiting upon it, and rub it in well with your hand or a 
stiff brush, all over the surface; the whiting absorbs the oil, and fills 
the pores of the wood completely. For black walnut, add a little 
burned umber to the whiting; for cherry, a little Venetian red, etc., 
according to the color of the wood. Turned work can have it ap- 
plied while in motion in the lathe. Furniture can afterward be fin- 
ished with only one coat of varnish. 

5. Terra alba is a very good and very cheap filling. Many paint- 
ers have been most shamefully imposed on by parties selling the stuff 
at a high price. 

6. Furniture Pastes. — Beeswax, spirits of turpentine and linseed 
oil, equal parts; melt and cool. 

7. Beeswax, four ounces; turpentine, ten ounces; alkanet root to 
color; melt and strain. 

8. Beeswax, one pound; linseed oil, five ounces; alkanet root, one- 
half ounce; melt and add five ounces turpentine; strain and cool. 

g. Beeswax, four ounces; resin, one ounce; oil of turpentine, two 
ounces; digest until sufficiently colored, then add beeswax till dis- 
solved, then add beeswax scraped small, four ounces; put the vessel 
into hot water, and stir till dissolved. If wanted /^A- the alkanet root 
should be omiited. 

10. (White). White wax, one pound; liquor of potassa, one-half 
gallon; boil to a proper consistency. 

11. Beeswax, one pound; soap, one-quarter pound; pearlash, three 
ounces, dissolved in water, one-half gallon; strain and boil as the 
last. 

12. Yellow wax, eighteen parts; resin, one part; alkanet root, one 
part; turpentine, six parts; linseed oil, six parts. First steep the 
alkanet in oil with heat, and, when well colored, pour off the clear on 
the other ingredients, and again heat till all are dissolved. 



I4S WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

13, Furniture Cream. — Beeswax, one pound; soap, four ounces; 
pearlash, two ounces; soft water, one gallon; boil together until 
mixed. 

Finger-nail Wash — Dr. [Scott's wash to whiten the nails. — 
Diluted sulphuric acid, two drams; tincture of myrrh, one dram; 
spring water, four ounces. Mix. First cleanse with white soap, and 
then dip the fingers into the wash. 

Fire — precautions in case of. — Should a fire break out send off to 
the nearest engine or police-station. 

Fill buckets with water, carry them as near the fire as possible, dip 
a mop into the water, and throw it in showers on the fire until assist- 
ance arrives. 

If a fire is violent, wet a blanket and throw it on the part which is 
in flames. 

Should a fire break out in the kitchen-chimney, or any other, a 
wet blanket should be nailed to the upper ends of the mantel-piece, so 
as to cover the opening entirely, the fire will then go out of itself; for 
this purpose two knobs should be permanently fixed in the upper ends 
of the mantel-piece on which the blankat may be hitched. 

Should the bed or window-curtains be on fire, lay hold of any 
woolen garment and beat it on the flames until extinguished. 

Avoid leaving door or window open in the room where the fire has 
broken out, as the current of air increases the force of the fire. 

Should the staircase be burning so as to cut off all communications, 
endeavor to escape by means of a trap-door in the roof, a ladder lead- 
ing to which should always be at hand. 

Avoid hurry and confusion; no person except a fire policeman, 
friend, or neighbor should be admitted. 

If a lady's dress takes fire she should endeavor to roll herself in a 
rug, carpet, or the first woolen garment she meets. 

It is a good precaution to have always at hand a large piece of baize, 
to throw over a female whose dress is burning, or to be wet and 
thrown over a fire that has recently broken out. 

A solution of pearlash in water, thrown upon a fire, extinguishes it 
instantly. The proportion is a quarter of a pound dissolved in hot 
water and then poured into a bucket of common water. 

It is recommended to householders to have two or three fire -buckets 
and a carriage mop with a long handle near at hand; they will be 
found essentially useful in case of fire. 

All householders, but particularly hotel, tavern, and inn-keepers, 
should exercise a wise precaution by directing that the last person up 
should perambulate the premises previous to going to rest, to ascer- 
tain that all fires are safe and lights extinguished. 

Fire — to release animals in case of. — It is a well-known fact that 
animals, especially horses, are so stupefied at fire, that they will not 
only make no effort to move, but in general resist all attempts to 
make them move. Experience has proved that the only effectual 
plan to get horses out of a stable in case of fire, is to put their harness 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO IV. 149 

on, and when this is done they will quietly follow the groom. No 
time should be lost in carrying this plan into effect; if done in time, 
it has never been known to fail. 

Fire — what to do in case of. — Do not get confused; admit no one 
to your house except firemen, policemen or neighbors. 

If a lady's or child's dress takes fire, endeavor to roll the person up 
in a rug, carpet, or any piece of woolen stuff. 

Keep all doors and windows closed until the firemen arrive. 

If smoke enters the room and it is difficult to stand erect, get your 
mouth as close to the floor as possible and breathe easy, as there is 
always a fresh current of air near the floor. A wet cloth over the 
mouth will greatly aid breathing. 

The most rapid manner to extinguish flames when the clothing 
catches fire is to wrap the patient, or yourself, in a heavy woolen rug 
or blanket, and roll on the floor as rapidly as possible. 

Fire Kindlers. — To make very nice fire kindlers, take resin any 
quantity, and melt it, putting in for each pound being used, from two 
to three ounces of tallow, and when all is hot stir in pine sawdust to 
make very thick; and, while yet hot, spread it out about one inch 
thick, upon boards which have fine sawdust sprinkled upon them, to 
prevent it from sticking. When cold, break up into lumps about one 
inch square. But if for sale, take a thin board and press upon it, 
while yet warm, to lay it off into inch squares; this makes it break 
regularly, if you press the crease sufficiently deep; grease the marking 
board to prevent it from sticking. 

Fish Balls. — In the first place, the fish must be good. A great 
many people haven't the least idea of a good salt fish; they must 
first learn what a good fish is if they would have good balls. Cut up 
your fish and raw potatoes, taking twice the quantity of potatoes you 
have of fish, and boil them together half an hour; when done, drain 
off the water immediately, and beat the fish and potatoes thoroughly 
together. Now add pepper and salt, and if you have used half a pint 
of fish, one egg and a piece of butter half the size, beat all together, 
roll into balls and fry like doughnuts. Serve immediately. The fat 
must be as hot as for doughnuts. Faithfully follow this rule and 
then fish balls are good. 

Fish Culture. — How to secure nearly double the usual product 
in fish raising. — I have closely observed the habits of many of the 
fishes that inhabit our southern streams, and among others the trout. 
Here they are migratory, or at least they leave the small streams in 
October, and return to them in March. They spawn in April, and 
the young brood are hatched out in a few days. Now my plan for 
increasing the yield is to have the eggs of the trout and other fishes 
well protected in their natural bed, where deposited by the mother, 
by placing over it a frame of fine wire net or cloth. But little atten- 
tion is needed to find the nest of the trout or other fish; then as soon 
as the eggs are all deposited you have onlv to put the wire net over 
the nest and it will keep off nearly all of the fish and insects that prey 



I50 IVJIA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

on the eggs. In this way I think •• ou may be sure of seventy-five per 
cent, of the eggs producing young trout, and as these remain near the 
nest till old enough to escape from most of the dangers of their infant 
state, the wire net will save nearly all of them. 

Fish — to fry. — Small fish are to be fried whole; large fish have the 
fleshy portions cut off with a very sharp knife and divided into strips 
(fillets) of a convenient size for serving. When cleaned and ready 
for cooking, wipe dry, and roll them in powdered cracker or bread 
crumbs. (Cracker, ready pulverized, is now sold at most grocery 
stores, under the name of "cracker dust.") Dip the fish, or pieces, 
in well beaten ^^%, and again roll them in cracker dust or crumbs, re- 
moving any lumps, so as to leave the surface smooth. Have the fat 
hot, and drop in the pieces, Avatching them carefully until they cook 
to a golden brown; then lift from the fat antl lay upon thick paper to 
aborb the fat. Fillets of fish with the bones in, may be treated in the 
same way. By this method the fish are well flavored and much more 
digestible for weak stomachs. Fish are nourishing, and not only sup- 
ply good food for the muscles, but also furnishes much phosphorus, 
which is a good brain-making material. 

Fish — to preserve them alive for transportation from place to 
place. — Stop up the mouths of the fish with crumbs of bread steeped 
in brandy, and pour a very small quantity of brandy into them; pack 
them in clean straw. The fish will become quite torpid, and in this 
state may be kept ten or twelve days. 

Fish — (steamed.) — Fish should never be boiled but steamed, so 
that no fine properties are dissolved in the water. 

Fits — treatment of. — When these are brought on by indigestion, 
place the child in a warm bath immediately, give warm water, or a 
lobelia emetic, rub the skin briskly, etc., to get up an action. In 
brain disease the warm water is equally useful. In fact, unless the fit 
is constitutional, the warm bath will relieve the patient by drawing 
the blood to the surface. 

Fits (Fainting). — Fits are sometimes very dangerous, and at others 
perfectly harmless; the question of danger depending altogether upon 
the causes which have produced them, and which are exceedingly 
various. For instance, fainting produced by disease of the heart is a 
very serious symptom indeed; whereas that arising from some slight 
cause, such as the sight of blood, etc., need cause no alarm whatever. 
The symptoms of simple fainting are so well known that it would be 
quite superfluous to enumerate them here. The treatment consists of 
laying the patient at full length upon his back, with his head upon a 
level with the rest of his body, loosening everything about the neck, 
dashing cold water into the face, and sprinkling vinegar and water 
about the mouth; applying smelling-salts to the nose; and, w-hen the 
patient is able to swallow, in giving a little warm brandy and water or 
about twenty drops of sal-volatile in water. Should the attack be due to 
disease of the heart, place the perstm in an upright position, and give 
half a tumbler of cold brandy and water — half brandy, half water. If 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO VV. 151 

the attack arises from debility, place the person in an upright posi- 
tion, and administer a glass of sherry. Should excitement or an 
overheated room be the cause, a reclining posture, and the adminis- 
tration of a wineglassful of camphor julep, to which twenty drops of 
sal-volatile have been added, are the best means of recovery. 

Fits (Fainting). — Fainting is caused by the blood leaving the 
brain. Plac-e the patient flat and allow the head to be lower than the 
body. Sprinkle cold water on the face. Hartshorn may be held near 
the nose, not to it, A half teaspoonful of aromatic spirits of ammo- 
nia, in a wineglassful of water, will tend to revive the patient. If the 
symptoms recur, send for a physician. 

Flannel — to wash. — Cut up what soap may be needed and dissolve 
in a skillet of boiling water. Let it stand on the stove and simmer 
till every particle is dissolved. Never rub soap on the flannel, or al- 
low a bit to settle on them. Nothing "fulls " flannel so badly as rub- 
bing soap on it, or letting bits of it settle on the cloth. A place on 
which a bit of soap has lodged or been rubbed will have a different 
shade from the rest when dried, making the whole garment look 
spotted. 

Take a small tub not quite half full of scalding hot or boiling water. 
Into this pour enough of the dissolved soap to make a rich suds, also 
some ammonia, a teaspoonful and a half to ten or twelve quarts of 
suds is a fair proportion. Stir this and the soap into the hot water 
till it is all thoroughly incorporated. Then put in the flannels. Two 
or three articles are enough to soak at one time. Press them well 
under the water, but turn them over in the suds occasionally while 
soaking. Let them remain in the water till it is cool enough to put 
the hands in without discomfort. While washing keep a good quan- 
tity of water at boiling heat on the range for rinsing purposes, and to 
keep the suds as hot as it can be used. Before one piece is washed 
and ready to be wrung out fill a small tub half full of clear hot water. 
Into this stir a little more " bluing" than would be used for cotton or 
linen. Shake out each piece as soon as washed, quickly, and throw 
at once into the hot rinsing water. 

Rub the flannel as little as possible, but draw it repeatedly through 
the hands, squeezing rather than rubbing. Harsh rubbing thickens 
and injures the fabric. Never wring with a wringer, as the pressure 
mats the nap down so closely as to destroy all the soft, fleecy look of 
good flannel. Wring with the hands as dry as possible, then rinse 
and wring out again; and when as dry as it can be made by hand, 
snap out, stretch and pull out into the true shape; dry in the open air, 
if possible. Bring in when not quite dry, roll up a short time, and 
iron while still a little damp, so that each part can be more readily 
brought into shape. Pressing, when ironing, is better for the flannel 
than rubbing. It does not make the fabric feel so hard and wiry. 

Scarlet flannel is poisonous to some skins if used before washing, 
and as one is not always sure how one may be affected by it, it is 
safer to give it a scald in hot water with a little soap — not enough to 



152 IVIIA T E VER V ONE SHOULD KNO W. 

make a strong suds. Let it stand and soak a few niinutes, then wring 
out and treat like other flannels. 

Flannel — to whiten. — It is said that flannel, which has become 
yellow by age, may be restored to its original whitqness by the use 
of a solution of one and a half pounds of white Marseilles soap in 
fifty pounds of soft river water, to which is added two-thirds of an 
ounce of spirit of aqua ammonia, and the whole thoroughly mixed. 
The flannel is to be immersed in this solution and well stirred around, 
and afterward washed off in pure water. The same result may also 
be obtained still more quickly by immersing the flannel for an hour 
in a dilute solution of acid sulphate of soda, and then stirring in dilute 
hydrochloric acid in the proportion of one part of acid to fifty of 
water. The vessel is then to be covered over and allowed to remain 
for a quarter of an hour, when the articles are to be removed and 
thoroughly washed. 

Flat-irons — to smooth. — If your flat-irons arc rough, rub them 
with fine salt, and it will make them smooth. 

Flaxseed Tea — w^ays to make. — Put two tablespoonfuls whole 
flaxseed in a pint of boiling water and boil fifteen minutes; cut up 
one lemon and put in a pitcher with two tablespoonfuls of sugar. 
Strain the tea boiling \\oX. through a wire strainer into the pitcher and 
stir together. Good for cough and sore throat. 

2. Take three tablespoonfuls of linseed, about one pint of water, ^ 
and boil for ten minutes. Strain off the water, put in a jug with two 
lemons, cut in thin slices; put in also some brown sugar. A wine- 
glassful of wine is an improvement. This has been found most nout^ 
ishing for invalids. 

3. Macerate one ounce flaxseed and half an ounce of bruised 
liquorice root in one pint of boiling water for two hours, in a tightly- > 
closed vessel; filter, and add one fluid ounce of lemon juice. This is.: 
a good drink in cases of catarrh. \A'J 

Flesh-w^orms on the skin. — When black spots, " flesh-worms^." as. > 
they are called, become troublesome, it would be advisable to adopt 
the following remedy, which, though simple, is very cihcacious: Mix 
some flour of sulphur in a little milk, let it stand for a couple of 
hours, and then, without disturbing the sulphur, use the milk as a 
lotion; to be well rubbed into the skin with a towel. Almost immedi- 
ately afterward, the skin may be washed with soap and cold water. 
Cold cream should be rubbed in at bedtime. The spots will shortly 
disappear. 

Flies — to destroy. — Take half a teaspoonful of black pepper, one 
teaspoonful of brown sugar, and one .tablespoonful of cream; mix 
them well together and place them in a room on a plate, where the 
flies arc troublesome, and they will soon disappear. 

Floating Island. — Put a quart of milk over the fire in a shallow 
kettle, let it come to a boil; beat the whites of four eggs to a froth 
anil add some white sugar; let the whites of the eggs scald a moment 
in the milk, then dip out; beat the yolks of the eggs with sugar to suit 



IVirA T E VEK Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 153 

the taste; stir this into the boilinp milk; as soon as it boils turn into 
a shallow dish; lay the whites on top. Ornament with colored sugar 
sands if you like. .jt 

Floating Island— how to make. — Put on the stove a quart of milk 
sweetened and flavored to taste. Just as soon as it reaches boiling 
point, stir in the well-beaten yolks of five eggs and allow it to come 
to a boil again, stirring all the lime. Then remove from the hre and 
set aside to cool. Three of the whites will be sulTlcient for the islands. 
Beat to a stiff froth with a fork, which is better than an cgg-ljcater 
fdr this particular purpose, and place in a colanilar. Now comes the 
" kink." Have ready a tea-kettle of boiling water, from which jjour 
Mpidly but thoroughly upon the beaten, whites, until the water has 
touched every part. Set down for a few moments to finish draining, 
after which you can take a knife and cut into little blocks and lay 
upon your custard, which has been previously poured into the dish 
from which it is to be served: By this means, the whites will retain 
their form, and not aggravate you by dissolving into thin air at a 
critical juncture. It also does away with that raw taste. Hits of 
jelly dropped upon each island, give the dish an inviting appearance. 

Float, or French Custard. — Beat the yolks of five eggs with ten 
tablespoonfuls of sugar, and stir in a quart of new milk; place over 
the fire and stir until it creams. Do not cook too long. Pour into 
a dish that can be covered. Spread over the top the whites of the 
five eggs, beaten to a stiff froth, with a taidespoonful of pulverized 
sugar. Both custard and whites of the eggs should be flavt)red with 
lemon or vanilla. 

Floors — to stain and polish. — A correspondent who thinks that 
carpets are too expensive for daily use, and that something that is 
cheaper and at the same time more easily kept clean is needed, says 
that a friend's hall and kitchen were floored, as he supposed with 
black walnut and pine; but he was informed that the owner had 
caused the floors to be smoothly laid, and with his own hands had 
stained each alternate board a dark color, and then with shellac had 
finished the whole with a fine polish. He says: " I shall have my 
hall and dining-room floors plained smoothly and evenly by a car- 
penter, and then myself rub carefully with a sponge or brush, avoid- 
ing any daubs over the seam, into each alternate board a stain pre- 
pared as follows: One-quarter of a pound of asphaltum and half a 
pound of beeswax; if too light in color, add asphaltum, though that 
must be done with caution, as very little will graduate the shade, and 
black walnut is not what its name indicates, but a rich dark brown; 
or burned umber in alcohol, to the proper consistency of easy appli- 
cation, may be used without the beeswax; and, after a thin coat of 
shellac has been laid over the whole and the surface smoothed (wer 
with sandpaper, a coat of common varnish will give it a si)Iendid 
finish. A breadth of carpet or matting, or a piece of oilcloth laid 
down, will protect it where the greatest wear comes. The narrower 



154 ^^A T E VER V ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

the floor the finer will be the effect; but in any case it will excite your 
own and your friends* admiration and prove a joy forever." 

Floors — stai® for. — To strong lye of wood ashes add enough cop- 
peras for the required oak shade. Put this on with a mop and var- 
nish afterward. 

Florida Water. — Half pint proof spirits, two drams oil lemon, 
half dram oil rosemary. Mix. 

Flounders — how to select. — Flounders, and all white fiat fish, are 
rigid and firm when fresh; the under side should be of a rich cream 
color. When out of season, or too long kept, this becomes a bluish 
white, and the flesh soft and flaccid. A clear, bright eye in fish is also 
a mark of being fresh and good. 

Flour — how to select. — Look at its color; if it is white, with a 
slightly yellowish or s-raw colored tint, it is a good sign. If it is very 
white, with a bluish cast with white specks in it, the flour is not good. 
Examine its adhesiveness; wet and knead a little of it between the 
fingers; if it works dry and elastic, it is good; if it works soft and 
sticky, it is poor. Flour made from spring wheat is likely to be 
sticky. Throw a little lump of dry flour against a dry, smooth, per- 
pendicular surface; if it adheres in a lump, the flour has life in it; if 
it falls like powder, it is bad. Squeeze some of the flouT in your 
hands; if it retains the shape given by the pressure, that, too, is a 
good sign. Flour that will stand all these tests it is safe to buy. 

Flour — boiled for invalids. — Tie a pound of fine flour tightly and 
compactly in a linen cloth, throw it into boiling water, and let it boil 
for three hours; when it is cold it will be found to be a hard, dry mass, 
from which the outside layer will peel like a skin. Grate a part of the 
remainder, and use it to thicken boiling milk or to make a gruel. 

Flour — to brown. — Spread on a tin plate, set on the stove or in a 
very hot oven, and stir constantly after it begins to color, until it is 
brown all through. Keep in a glass jar, shake occasionally, and use 
for gravies, etc. 

Flour (Self-raising). — Kiln-dried flour, one hundred pounds; tar- 
taric acid, ten ounces; mix thoroughly. After two or three days add 
of bi-carbonate soda, twelve ounces; lump sugar, one half pound; 
common salt, one and one-half pounds; mix, and pass through the 
"dressing machine." Have all the articles perfectly dry, and separately 
reduced to fine powder before adding to the flour. Mix with cold 
water, and bake at once. It produces light and porous bread. 

Flowers — arrangement of. — Flowers may be arranged either ac- 
cording to the harmony or contrast of colors. Red harmonizes with 
orange, orange with yellow, violet with red, indigo with violet, blue 
with indigo, and green with blue. Green is the contrast of red, sky- 
blue to orange, yellow to violet, blue to orange-red, indigo to orange- 
yellow, and violet to bluish-green. To find the contrast to any flower, 
cut a small circular piece out of its petals, place it upon white paper, 
look at it steadily with one eye for a few seconds, without letting the 
eye-lids close, then look from the colored circle to another part of 



WHA T E VER \ ' ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 155 

the white paper, when the circle of another color will be apparent. 
This color is the true contrast, or complimentary color. Tastes differ 
as to whether the effect of arranging the flowers according to contrast 
or complimentary color is more pleasing to the eye than according to 
harmonies. The former, however, is the most in favor. To carry it 
out, a blue flower should be placed next to an orange flower, a yel- 
low near a violet, and a red or a white should have plenty of foliage 
around it. White contrasts with blue or orange, or still better, with 
red or pink, but not with yellow or violet. 

Flowers and Ferns — for ornamenting. — Nothing beautifies a room 
more sensibly than a few tastefully arranged flowers or plants. In 
summer flowers are always available, and in winter their place may 
be agreeably supplied by sprigs of evergreens, dried grasses, or im- 
mortelles. A few creeping plants, or ivy, can be obtained at any 
time during cold weather, and a few twigs of these brought into use 
whenever required. Those who keep house-plants always have the 
materials at hand for decorations, and they should be used liberally 
and constantly, varying the arrangement as often and widely as pos- 
sible. A charming house ornament is supplied by a fern-case, which 
may be constructed quite inexpensively, while the plants required, be- 
ing indigenous to our woods and meadows, can be easily collected, 
so that the pleasure of having a case well filled with finely grown 
plants can be enjoyed by those who do not wish to expend largely for 
this purpose. 

Flowers — to preserve. — By the following process flowers may be 
preserved without losing their beauty of lint or form: Get a quantity 
of fine sand, wash it until the last water that runs off is quite clear, 
then put the wet sand on a board placed aslant over a pan to drain 
the water off. Dry the sand perfectly by the fire, or in the sun. Sift 
it twice, once through a fine sieve, next through a coarse one; thus 
the sand will become nearly all of the same sized particles, and be 
very fine. Cut the flowers when full blown, and in dry weather, not 
moist with dew or rain. Get a box of sufficient size, fill it with dry 
sand so high that the flowers may stand erect in it by their imbeded 
stems. Then put some sand in the sieve, and tenderly sift it over the 
flowers, so as not to break them; do not crumple or displace a petal. 
Keep the box in a warm, dry place, but not too hot. The tempera- 
ture should never exceed one hundred degrees. The sand absorbs 
the moisture of the flowers. As soon as you think the flowers are 
thoroughly dry, open the box and slant it so as to let the upper sand 
run out gently; then lift them out by their stems. The flowers will 
be perfect, but a little brittle. In time the atmosphere will make 
them less so. 

Flowers — for exhibition. — To place flowers on exhibition andiceep 
fresh, and to show off to good advantage, get large flakes of moss 
from logs, and, after putting an inch or so of sand in the bottom of 
a shallow box, lay on this the moss, and thrust into this the flower 
stems; then, by watering occasionally, they keep perfectly fresh for a 



156 IFHA T E VER Y ONE STIO ULD KNO W. 

number or days. Crosses, rings, etc., can be formed in these boxes, 
and having- sprigs of evergreens tacked on the sides of the boxes the 
effect is beautiful. Moss placcil in fancy-shaped baskets and in this 
the flowers make a pretty show. 

Flowers and Fruit — how to preserve. — Fruit and flowers may be 
preserved from ilecay and fading by immersing them in a solution of 
gum arabic and water two or three times, waiting a sufficient time 
between each immersion to allow the gum to dry. This process cov- 
ers the surface of the fruit with a thin coat of gum, which is entirely 
Impervious to the air, and thus prevents the decay of the fruit or the 
gathering of the tlower. Roses thus preserved have all the beauty of 
freshly plucked ones, though they have been separated from the par- 
ent stock many months. 

Flowers — to revive v/hen withered. — Plunge the stems into boil- 
ing water, and keep them there till the water is cold. They will quite 
revive. The stems may then be cut, and the llowers put to stand in 
cold water. 

Flowers — to preserve in water. — Mix a little carbonate of soda 
with the water in which llowers are immersed, and it will preserve 
them for a fortnight. Common saltpetre is also a very good pre- 
servative. 

Flower Seeds — autumn sowing of. — Persons say that the finest 
flowers they ever had of certain annuals were from "volunteer" 
plants from self-grown seeds. The real reason for their superiority 
is woi due to the manner, but to the time of sowing. Seeds are "self- 
grown " soon after they are ripe, and the superiority of the plants 
from these suggests autumn sowing. The annual flowers classed as 
" hardy " should as a general thing, if practicable, be sown in 
autumn. Larkspurs and pansics are incomparably finer w^hen thus 
sown. Clarkia, whitlavia, gilia, and nearly all the rest of the Cali- 
fornia annual, to give the best results, should be sown in autumn. 

Fiow^ers — to pack for shipment. — Cut flowers should be packed 
in a perfectly tlry condition, and whatever packing materials are used 
should also be dry. Considerable quantities are sent in boxes by rail 
to distances varying from fifty to three hundred miles in the follow- 
ing manner with perfect success: The bottom and sides of the box is 
lined with spray and fern fronds; upon that at the bottom is placed a 
compact layer of buds and such flowers as will not sufl'er from a little 
pressure; then ci>mes another layer with the more delicate flowers 
enveloped singly in a thin piece of wadding, all packed closely. This 
is followed by a sheet of silver paper, upon which a third and last 
layer of padded flowers is placed. A thin sheet of soft wadding is 
placed upon the top, and the lid fastened in the same manner as the 
fruit boxes. 

Flovirer Stand — to make. — A very pretty flower stand can be made 
out of a table, a bucket, and half a dozen old tin cans. Place the 
bucket in the center of the table. Punch several holes in the bottom 
of each can, and screw them firmly to the table by screws in the holes. 



IVIIA T E VER Y ONE SHOULD KNO W. 157 

Arches of stout wire may be made across the top of the cans. For 
ferns planted in the cans, which require a great deal of water, cover 
the top of the table with a shallow pan to catch the drip. Other 
plants should only have the soil kept damp. Geraniums are fine for 
winter blooming, as are also coleus, fuchsias, and petunias. Some 
kind of a vine should be planted in each of the corner cans. Trailing 
plants produce a good effect. 

Flowers — to arrange. — A very good device for arranging flowers 
consists of a piece of cork of about a quarter of an inch thick, circu- 
lar in form, and perforated with holes like the nose of a watering-pot. 
The diameter is to correspond to the size of the saucer or shallow 
dish with which it is to be used. The cork floating on the top of the 
water supports the flowers, whose stems are inserted through the 
holes. For the display of small flowers, and those having short 
stems, this method seems well adapted; possibly it may be better 
than damp sand, though that is doubtful; but, as the cork may be 
preserved, it would always be at hand, and it might not be con- 
venient sometimes to procure sand. 

Fluid — for -vvashing cloths. — For washing alpaca, camel's hair, 
and other woolen goods, and for removing marks made on furniture, 
carpets, rugs, etc.: Foar ounces ammonia, four ounces white castile 
soap, two ounces alcohol, two ounces glycerine, two ounces ether. 
Cut the soap fine, dissolve in one quart of water over the fire; add 
four quarts of water. When nearly cold, add the other ingredients. 
This will make nearly eight quarts. It must be put in a bottle and 
stoppered tight. It will keep good any length of time. 

Fluid (Silver Plating.) — Dissolve one ounce of nitrate of silver, in 
crystals, in twelve ounces of soft water; then dissolve in the water 
two ounces cyanuret oi potash; shake the whole together, and let it 
stand till it becomes clear. Have ready some half-ounce vials, and 
fill half full of Paris white, or fine whiting; and then fill up the bottles 
with the liquor, and it is ready for use. The whiting does not in- 
crease the coating powder; it only helps to clean the articles, and 
save the silver fluid, by half filling the bottles. 

Fluid — for soldering and tinning. — The following compounds are 
useful for soldering or tinning: Tin — one part muriatic acid, with as 
much zinc as it will dissolve; add two parts of water and some sal 
ammoniac. Brass and copper — one pound muriatic acid, four ounces 
zinc, five ounces sal ammoniac. Zinc — one pound muriatic acid, and 
two ounces sal ammoniac, with all the zinc it will dissolve, and three 
pints of water. Iron — one pound of muriatic acid, six ounces sperm 
tallow, four ounces sal ammoniac. Gold and silver — one pound muri- 
atic acid, eight ounces sperm tallow, and eight ounces sal ammoniac. 

Fluid (Soldering). — Take two ounces muriatic acid; add zinc till 
bubbles cease to rise; add one-half teaspoonful of sal-ammoniac. 

Fluid (Washing). — Take five quarts of water, one-half pound of 
lime, one pound of sal-soda, and let it come to a boiling point; then 
settle, pour off and bottle. Use one and a half cups of this to a wash- 



1 58 WIIA T E VER Y ONE SHOULD KNO IK 

injj: of five persons. Soak clothes in cold water over night. After 
piittiii>^ fluid in a boiler of cold water, let it come to a boiling point; 
put in clothes and bi)il half an hour. If any rubbing is necessary it 
will be very easy; then rinse in two waters. The above will not in- 
jure the clothes. 

Fluted Reamer — to dip properly. — Dip it perpendicularly to a 
short distamc lieyond the fluting — that is to say, about half an inch 
and withdraw atul return it several times. This hardens all the lips, 
and prevents it cracking off at the water's edge, which is the case 
wluM a piece of steel is dipped in to a certain depth, and alK)wed to 
cool without moving. 

F'uid (Washing). — Take one-half pound soda ash, and a half a 
pound of unshiked lime, and put them in a gallon of water; boil 
twenty miiuites; let it stand till cool, then drain off and put in a jug 
or jar. Soak your dirty clothes over night, or until they arc wet 
through, theti wring, and rub on plenty of soap on the dirtiest places, 
and, in one boiler of clothes, well covered with water, add one teacup- 
ful of the iluid; boil half an hour or more; rul) through one water, 
and rinse well, and your clothes will look better than by the old way 
of washing twice before boiling. This is the original recipe; but to 
economize, I put one quart of good lye, made from wood ashes, in 
tlio i)lace of soda ash, ami 1 ft)und that it was just as good, and 
cheaper. 

Fly (Green) — to destroy. — The stems and leaves of the tomato are 
well l)oiled in water, and when the liquor is cold it is syringed over 
}>lanls attacked by insects. It at once destroys black or green fly, 
caterpillars, etc.; and it leaves behind a peculiar odor which prevents 
insects from coming again f(^r a long time. The author states that 
he found this remedy more effectual than fumigating, washing, etc. 
Through neglect, a house of camelias had become almost hopelessly 
infesteil with black lice, but two syringings with tomato plant decoc- 
tion thoroughly cleansed them. 

Fly in Turnips — to prevent. — From experiments lately made, it 
has been ascertaineil that lime sown by hand, or distributed by a ma- 
chine, Is an infallible i)rotection to turnips against the ravages of this 
destructive insect. It should be applied as soon as the turnips come 
up. and in the same daily rotation in which they were sown. The 
lime should be slaked immediately before it is used, if the air be not 
sullicienlly moist to render that operation unnecessary. 

Fly Paper. — Coat paper with turpentine varnish, and oil it to keep 
the varnish fiom drying. 

Food for Singing Birds. — Blanched sweet almonds, pulverized, 
one-half pound; pea meal, one pound; ■saffron, three grains; yolks of 
two hanl boiled eggs. Reiluce all to a powder by rubbing through a 
sieve. Place the mixture in a frying-pan over a fire, and add two 
(umces butter and two ounces honey. Slightly cook for a few min- 
utes, stirring well, then set off to cool, and preserve in a closely 
corketi bottle. 



W/IA T E VER V ONE SIIO Ul.D h'NO n . 159 

Foot-bath.— Remember never to have the foot-bath so hot as to 
occasion a disaf^reeable sensation; this wouhl drive the blood to the 
head, instead of drawing it from it. If possible, when bathing the 
feet, have a warm bath for the hands also; the object being to bring 
the heat to the extremities. 

Foot Sprains — remedy for. — The instej) is very liable to be 
sjirained, and so indeed are other parts of the foot. Whenever sprains 
occur, let the following simple remedy be tried, as it will frecjuently 
give relief. Grease the thumbs of both hands, or dip them in any 
soap liniment; then slide the fingers of each hand under the foot, at 
the same time press the sprained part with the thumbs as they move 
along. Continue this for a quarter of an hour, and, if necessary, re- 
peat the operation; increase the pressure of the thumbs very grad- 
ually, especially if there is nuich i)ain. 

Forcing the Beard — liquid for. — Cologne, two (junces; li(]uid harts- 
horn, one dram; tincture cantharides, two drams; oil rosemary, 
twelve drops; lavender, twelve drops. Apply to the face daily and 
await results. Said to be reliiible. 

Forest leaves — for stables and yards. — We do not thi^nk that 
farmers set as much value upon forest leaves as they should do. 
They possess many good qualities. They have a pleasant smell, ab- 
sorb the moisture, and through the winter are converted into excel- 
lent manure. They can be most conveniently gathered after the 
first snow, or at least bef(jre the wintry blasts have scattered them. 
They then lay compactly, and being moist can be handled with great 
facility. A cart with a few standards stuck in the sides will hold a 
considerable quantity, and the best thing to gather them or load 
them is a wooden hand rake; a wooden four lined straw fork is also 
very handy when the leaves are moist. They can be gathered-too 
when other labor about the farm is slack. There arc leaves, also, 
about the garden, yard and orchards, that should be gathered and 
used. They are good for covering vines, cabbage, and half hardy 
shrubbery after being laid down. They do not admit much moisture, 
and are excellent protection against frost. 

Founder — remedy for. — Draw about a gallon of blood from the 
neck; then drench the horse with linseed oil, one quart; now rub the 
fore-legs long and well with water as hot as can be borne without 
scalding. 

Fowls — how to select. — Common domestic fowk, when young, 
have the legs and combs smooth; when old, they are rough, and on 
the breast long hairs are found instead of feathers. Fowls and chick- 
ens should be plump on the breast, fat on the back, and white legged. 

Fowl— to broil. — Split the fowl down the back; season it very well 
with pepi)er and put it on the gridiron, with the inner part next the 
fire, which nuist be very clear. Hold the gridiron at a considerable 
distance from the fire, and allow the fowl to remain until it is nearly 
half done; then turn it, taking great care that it does not burn; broil 
it of a fine brown, and serve it uj) with stewed mushrooms. A duck 



i6o WHA T E VER Y ONE SHOULD KNO W. 

may be oroiled in the same way. If the fowl is very large, half roast 
it, then cut it into quarters, and finish it on the gridiron. It will take 
from half to three-quarters of an hour to cook. 

Fo-wls — to fatten in a short time. — Mix together ground rice well 
scalded with milk, and add some coarse sugar. Feed them with this 
in the daytime, but not too much at once. Let it be rather thick. 
Chopped onions are excellent for all kinds of fowl, and quickly drive 
all kinds of vermin away. 

Frames (gilt) — to clean. — When the gilt frames of pictures or 
looking-glasses, or the gilt molding of rooms, have got specks of dirt 
upon them, from flies or other causes, they can be cleaned with the 
white of egg, gently rubbed on with a camel's hair pencil. 

Frangipanni. — Spirits, one gallon; oil bergamot, one ounce; oil of 
lemon, one ounce; macerate for four days, frequently shaking; then 
add water, one gallon; orange-flower water, one pint; essence of 
vanilla, tv/o ounces. Mix. 

Freckles — to remove. — Those anxious to get rid of freckles can 
make a compound which commonly removes them if they will grate 
horseradish fine, let it stand a few hours in buttermilk, and strain it 
and use to wash night and morning. Or squeeze the juice of a lemon 
in a goblet of water and use in the same way. The regime should 
be attended to, and should be of such a nature that the bowels and 
kidneys will do their duty. Daily bathing, with much friction, should 
not be neglected, and the Turkish bath taken occasionally ^ if it is 
convenient. 

Freckles — cure for. — Wash in fresh buttermilk every morning, 
and rinse the face in tepid water; then use a soft towel. Freckles 
may also be removed by applying to the face a solution of nitre and 
water. Another good wash for freckles is made by dissolving three 
grains of borax in five drams each of rose water and orange-flower 
water. There are many remedies for freckles, but there is none that 
will banish them entirely. 

Freckles — to remove.— Take half a dram of muriate of ammonia, 
two drams of lavender, and half a pint of distilled water. Apply this 
mixture with a sponge two or three times a day. 

Freckles and Tan — to remove. — Tincture of benzoin, one pint; 
tincture tolu, one-half pint; oil rosemary, one-half ounce. Put one 
teaspoonful of the above mixture in one-quarter pint of water, and 
with a towel wash the face night and morning. 

Freckles and Sunburn. — After washing in cold water, use a little 
of the following lotion: Mix a tablespoonful of diluted muriatic acid 
with an ounce of rose-water, eight ounces of water, and one ounce of 
rectified spirits of wine. 

Freezing Preparation. — Common sal-ammoniac, well pulverized, 
one part; saltpetre, two parts; mix well together. Then take com- 
mon soda, well pulverized. To use take equal quantities of these 
preparations (which must be kept separate and well covered previous 
to using) and put them in the freezing pot; add of water a proper 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. i6i 

quantity, and put in the article to be frozen in a proper vessel; cover 
up, and your wants will soon be supplied. For freezing cream or 
wines this cannot be beat. 

French Milk of Roses. — Two and one-half pints of rose-water, 
one-half pint of rosemary water, two ounces of tincture of storan, 
two ounces of tincture of benzoin, one-half ounce of esprit de rose. 
First mix the rose-water and rosemary water, and then add the other 
ingredients. This is a useful wash for the complexion. 

Fresh-blown Flowers in Winter. — Choose some of the most per- 
fect buds of the flowers you wish to preserve, such as are latest in 
blooming and are ready to open; cut them off with a pair of scissors, 
leaving to each, if possible, a piece of stem about three inches long; 
cover the end of the stem immediately with sealing-wax, and when 
the buds are a little shrunk and wrinkled wrap each of them up 
separately in a piece of paper, perfectly clean and dry; then lock 
them up in a dry box or drawer, and they will keep without corrupt- 
ing. In winter, or at any time, when you would have the flowers 
blow, take the buds at night and cut off the end of the stem sealed 
with wax, and put the buds into water wherein a little nitre of salt 
has been diffused; the next day you will have the pleasure of seeing 
the buds open and expand themselves, and the flowers display their 
most lovely colors and breathe their agreeable odors. 

Fritters (Orange), — One pound of flour, one pint o^ milk with a 
teaspoonful of salt in it, and one-quarter of a pound of melted butter, 
and three eggs beaten very light. Prepare four oranges by remov- 
ing the yellow rind and every particle of white pith; divide into small 
pieces without breaking the skin. In each spoonful of batter put a 
piece of orange, and fry a golden brown; sift powdered sugar over as 
soon as taken from the pan. 

Frosting — ^for cake. — To the white of one ^^g beaten to a froth, 
add two heaping teaspoonfuls of corn-starch and as much dry pow- 
dered sugar as you can stir in. Bake your cake first, then make 
your frosting, then remove the cake from the baking pan and spread 
the frosting over the top of the loaf, making it smooth with a knife or 
spoon, and put it in a warm (not hot) oven until it hardens so that 
the frosting will not adhere to the finger in touching it, take it out, 
and put in a cool, dry place, and it will be hard enough to cut in if 
few hours. The above makes one loaf. I have no rule as to the 
quantity of sugar to be used. 

Frosting (Chocolate). — Whites of three eggs, one and a half cups 
of sugar, one teaspoonful of vanilla, three heaping teaspoonfuls of 
scraped chocolate. 

Frosting — ways to make. — To the white of one ^^^ allow one cup 
of sugar, and the same proportion for any number of eggs according 
to the quality of frosting to be done. Beat the mixture a great deal, 
and when the frosting remains in position, it is a test that it has been 
mixed enough. Fine granulated sugar gives a nicer gloss than pow- 
dered. If desired, add the juice of one lemon. The beating necessa- 



i62 WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

ry doper-ds upon the freshness of the eggs, and the strength and 
physical endurance of the mixer. The sugar must be added to the 
en^s very gradually, else too much will be added, and the frosting be 
too hard" The first frosting on cake should be put on when the cake 
is hot; it will then stick, as the frosting v>ill enter the pores of the 
cake. The second coating can be put on when the first is " set " or 
hard. Do not press hard against the cake, but simply spread lightly 
with a spoon. Mark into slices with the blade of a knife, but be sure 
the blade is tree of frosting every time it is drawn over the cake. The 
decorating frosting must be stiff er than that used for the simple cov- 
ering; this is done by adding more sugar. Ornamental frosting bags 
are made of a square piece of rubber cloth, placing the opposite cor- 
ners together and sewing up the side; keep the seam on the outside. 
Cut asmiill funnel-shaped tube in the small end of the bag, and put 
in the frosting; twist up the large end of the bag, and by pressing on 
the top the tlow of frosting can be regulated. Frosting bags cost 
sixty-two cents each at the stores, but a quarter of a yard of rubber 
cloth, costing twenty-five cents, will make four bags. The decorat- 
ing frosting will hr^rden in two hours. If any is left over, it will, if 
kept in an air-tight jar. do to use for the first frosting next time, but 
not for decorating. 

Frosting — Vvith gelatine. — Dissolve a large pinch of gelatine in 
six tablespoonfuls of boiling water, strain, thicken with sugar and 
flavor with lemon. Enough for two cakes. 

Frost-bites — treatment of. — For frost-bites, rub the affected parts 
with pure oil of peppermint. It will also prevent the after effect of 
chilblains. Care should be taken to use only the pure oil, and not 
the essence of peppennint, as the essence will not have the desired 
effect. 

Frost Feet — to cure. — For frosted feet, mix together one ounce of 
turpentine and three-eighths of an ounce of oil of sassafras. Apply 
the solution morning and evening. 

Frozen Limbs — cure for. — Dissolve from one-quarter to half a 
pound of alum in a gallon of warm water, and immerse the feet or 
hands in it when frozen, for ten or fifteen minutes, and a cure will 
be effected. 

Fruit Trees — hints on pruning. — From an experience of nearly 
fifty years in pruning fruit trees, I would say my preference would 
be to prune in winter, and next to that, after the leaves are all out 
and as late as the middle of June. It is true that the wounds from 
winter pruning do not heal as rapidly as from summer pruning, but I 
cannot see, after all, but the winter-pruned trees heal as sound as the 
summer-pruned ones. In all cases of pruning I would recommend a 
coat of thick paint, or graft ing-wiix, to be spread over the wounds, 
especially when the limb cut is over an inch in diamatcr. I never 
could find any difference in the productiveness of fruit on account of 
different seasons of pruning. My motto is, low heads for all kinds of 
fruit trees, with an opening in the top of apple trees. Rhode Island 



WIIA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 163 

Greening trees do not need low heads at starting, as the lower limbs 
always incline toward the ground, and the top limbs never run high. 
Pear trees of most varieties should be headed back on the top or top 
limbs, as they frequently grow entirely too high, and the lower limbs 
are not often in the way. Peach trees need very little pruning, and I 
would not advise, while planting them, the cutting off of all limbs and 
the top, leaving nothing but a stump or cane with the roots; this is a 
common custom, or has been here, but this method has been weighed 
in the balance and found wanting. I allow the main stem of the 
peach to run up as far as it will, and try while the tree is small to form 
a symmetrical head. A very little trimming will accomplish this. 
Do not cut off large limbs from any kind of fruit or ornamental tree 
close to the trunk or large limb of the tree; if large limbs are cut, they 
should be cut one or two feet from the trunk or larger limb, and these 
stumps should be shortened in according as they will bear it, at two 
or three different times, within the space of from six to ten years. I 
know these stumps are unsightly, but I prefer health in trees to sight- 
liness. I have apple trees that were treated in this way over six years 
ago, and are not cut short enough yet, and the stumps have none of 
them died as far back as the trunk or limbs they were taken from. I 
know of quite a number of apple trees with the large limbs cut close 
(since mine were treated as above stated) that are now dead, caused 
by the rot eating into the trees from the close cr.ts, while my trees are 
in the best of health. The theory of this is, that the trees continue to 
grow as usual while the stump grows but very little, and the tree gets 
so much larger than the stump that the cutting of the stump affects 
the tree but very little. 

Fruit Canning. — Those housekeepers who have not been success- 
ful in their atternpts at fruit canning, will find the following an excel- 
lent recipe: Place the fruit in either a granite, iron, or porcelain ket- 
tle; never use common iron, brass, or tin for this purpose. Allow it 
to boil for about five minutes. Have the jars in readiness, and stand- 
ing in a vessel of warm water, so that they may be heated gradually. 
Just before filling the jar with fruit, dip a towei in boiling water and 
wrap it around the jar, and tuck the corners under the bottom for the 
jar to rest upon. Fill the jar quickly, and when full, thrust a knife 
to the bottom and stir it around several times, and the air bubbles will 
rise to the top. Seal as tight as possible, and stand the jar on the top 
in a moderately cool place. In a few hours turn the jar up, and try 
to seal tighter, standing it again on the top. Continue this several 
times, or until the cover is tightly screwed on. Stand the jars in a 
cool, dark place in the cellar, looking at them occasionally for a few 
days. 

Fruit (Canned) — to remove. — To any one so unfortunate as to be 
obliged to move, it may be of value to know that canned fruit may 
be transported without fear of loss, if the glass jars are securely 
packed in sawdust. This must be very firmly pressed down so that 
the jars cannot be moved by the jarring of the wagon or car. 



i64 WHAT EVERY OKE SHOULD KNOW. 

Fruit — to can -without cooking. — Heating the fruit tends more or 
less to the injury of the liavor, ami it has been found that by filling 
the jars with fruit, and then with pure cold water, and allowing them 
to stand until all the confined air has escaped, the fruit will, if then 
sealed perfectly, keep indefinitely, without change or loss of original 
flavor. 

Fruit-jars — to prevent breaking. — Canning fruit is hot enough 
work without any hot water or hot jars around. Instead of this, wrap 
the jars with a towel saturated with cold water, and pour in your hot 
fruit. Any one who has not tried it will naturally say: " That is the 
sure wav to break the jars." I would say, just try one jar and see. 
We have canned hundreds of jars, one and two quarts, and have 
never broken one in filling. I can't explain why, but simply know 
that it is the fact. 

Fruit-jars — to render air-tight. — When canning fruit have a cup 
of flour paste ready; if your rubbers are old, or the zinc rings or 
covers are bent a little, you may still make them air-tight with the 
paste. If you are at all doubtful about the condition of your can it is 
a good notion to use the paste. 

Fruit-cans (Tin) — to utilize. — Perhaps one of the most appro- 
priate uses of an old fruit-can that can be devised is to make it con- 
tribute to the growth of new fruit to fill new cans. This is done in 
the following manner: The can is pierced with one or more pin holes, 
and then sunk into the earth near the roots of the strawberry or to- 
mato or other plants. The pin holes are to be of such size that when 
the can is filled with water the fluid can only escape into the ground 
very slowly. Thus a quart can. properly arranged, will extend its 
irrigation to the plant through a period of several days; the can is 
then refilled. Practical trials of this method of irrigation leave no 
doubt of its success. Plants thus watered flourish and yield the most 
bounteous returns throughout the longest droughts. In all warm 
localities, where water is scarce, the planting of old fruit-cans, as 
here indicated, will be found profitable as a regular gardening opera- 
tion. 

Fruit — how to dry. — Pare and core peaches, pears, quinces, or 
citron; make a syrup flavored with lemon peel; boil the fruit till done; 
drain it in a colander and spread on dishes. Place in the sunshine 
or a moderately heated 'oven until nearly dry. Sprinkle with loaf 
sugar, dry a little more, then pack them in boxes and put in a cool 
place. Citron must be boiled in clear water till you can pierce it with 
a fork, and drained through a colander before it is put in the syrup; 
then let it boil until it is clear. Pour boiling water on the lemon rind 
and let it stand over night before flavoring the syrup with it, and it 
can be dried with the fruit. 

Fruit Drying Hints. — Families of farmers engaged in drying 
fruits are reminded that the solar heat is not sutficiently intense to 
destroy insect eggs that may have been deposited in the fruit when 
green, or in the process of drying. If put in a moderately warm 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SIIO ULD KNO W. 165 

oven for ten minutes all parasites and their eggs would be destroyed. 
In countries where fruits are extensively dried the treatment is prac- 
ticed generally. 

Fruit Extracts, etc. — how to make. — Good alcohol, one quart; oil 
of lemon, two ounces. Break and bruise the peel of four lemons, 
and add to them alcohol for a few days, then filter. For currants, 
peaches, raspberries, pine-apples, strawberries, blackberries, etc., 
take alcohol and water half and half, and pour over the fruit, entirely 
covering it, and let it stand for a few days. For essence of cinnamon, 
nutmeg, mace, vanilla, etc., pulverize either article thoroughly, and 
put about two ounces of the resulting powder to each pint of reduced 
alcohol, agitate the mixture frequently for two weeks, then filter and 
color as desired. 

Fruits — to keep fresh. — Resin, two pounds; tallow, two ounces; 
beeswax, two ounces. Melt slowly over the fire in an iron pot, but 
don't boil. Take the fruit separately, and rub it over with pulverized 
chalk or whiting (to prevent the coating from adhering to the fruit), 
then dip it into the solution once, and hold it up a moment to set the 
coating, then pack away carefully in barrels, boxes, or on shelves, in 
a cool place. Unequaled for preserving apples, pears, lemons, etc. 

Fruit Juice — to preserve -without heat. — Ingredients: Ten 
pounds of fresh-gathered, picked, red-ripe currants, or other fruit, 
two quarts cold water, five ounces tartaric acid, six pounds of coarse 
sifted sugar. Put the fruit in a large earthen pan, pour the water 
with the tartaric acid dissolved in it over the fruit, cover the pan with 
some kind of lid, and allow the whole to steep for twenty-four hours 
in a cold place, and it would be all the better if the pan containing 
the fruit could be immersed in rough ice. Next, pour the steeped 
fruit into a suspended stout flannel bag, and when all the juice has 
run through, tie up the open end of the bag, and place it on a large 
earthen dish, with another dish upon it; place a heavy weight upon 
this, to press out all the remaining juice, and then mix it with the 
other juice. You now put the sifted sugar into the juice, and stir both 
together occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved, and then bottle up 
the syrup, cork, and tie down the bottles with wire, and keep them in 
the ice well or in a cold cellar, in a reclining position. 

Fruits — to pack for long distances. — Take a box of the proper 
size, soft paper, and sweet bran. Place a layer of bran on the bot- 
tom, then each bunch of grapes is held by the hand over a sheet of 
the paper; the four corners of the paper are brought up to the stalk 
and nicely secured; then laid on its side in the box, and so on until 
the first layer is finished. Then dust on a layer of bran, giving the 
box a gentle shake as you proceed. Begin the second layer as the 
first, and so on until the whole is full. The bloom of the fruit is thus 
preserved as fresh, at the end of a journey of five hundred miles, as 
if they were newly taken from the tree. Never fails to preserve 
grapes, peaches, apricots, and other fruit. 

Fruit — to preserve without sugar. — Fill some stone wide-mouthed 



i66 WHA T E VER V OA'E SHO ULD KNO W. 

bottles with the fruit carefully picked, and set them in a copper or 
large kettle; then fill the kettle with cold water nearly up to the 
mouths of the bottles. Corks should be prepared to fit the bottles, 
and a cloth should be put under the bottoms of the bottles to prevent 
their cracking with the heat. Light the fire under the kettle, and 
heat the water to one hundred and sixty or one hundred and seventy 
degrees. This heat should be continued for half an hour, when the 
fruit will be sufficiently scalded; after that, fill up the bottles with 
boiling water to within an inch of the cork, and cork them tightly. 
Lay the bottles on their sides; change the position of the bottles once 
or twice a week during the first tAvo months, turning them round to 
prevent any fermentation that might take place. Fruits could also 
be kept by the process mentioned above for meats, remembering that 
they are to be scalded only, not boiled, as in the case with meats. 

Fruit Trees — to clear from insects. — In three or four gallons of 
water, mix one-half pound of tobacco, one-half pound of sulphur, one- 
quarter peck of unslaked lime. Sj^ringe the trees well with this mix- 
ture, and it will effectually destroy blight. 

Fruit Trees — to preserve. — Fruit trees caa be pruned at any 
time, provided only small limbs or twigs have to be cut. The rule 
should be to so prune the trees that no large limbs would have to be 
cut. Cuts made in June wuU heal sooner than at any other time, but 
it requires more care at that time, as the bark peels so easily. 

Fruit Pests — to drive away. — At a time when fruit trees are blos- 
soming, and when the sparrows and bull-finches have commenced 
their annual raids upon them, the French have a way of driving away 
these diminutive plagues. This consists of lime-washing the trees. 
When thus whitened, the birds disappear, and there is no further oc- 
casion to dread their attacks. 

Fuel — economy in using. — The best of all means of saving fuel is 
the following: Cut a piece of sheet-iron one eighth of an inch thick, 
of a shape and size to reach within one inch of each side of the grate 
bottom, and to project one and a half inches in the front. Lay this 
over the bottom grating. In making the fire, half fill the grate with 
coals; then put some shavings or paper, and over this some sticks or 
bits of charcoal. On the top lay a few of yesterday's cinders, and 
finally some pieces of coal, not shoveled on, but carefully laid by 
hand. Many servants will ridicule thus lighting a fire " at the top," 
and will tell you the fire will not "catch" downwards through the 
coal. But try it, and you will find that this plan not only saves an 
incredible quantity of coal, but that it saves the housemaid trouble, 
and the room is far better warmed. The fire is to be replenished at 
the bottom, by putting pieces on the ledge and pushing, them in, also 
wherever an opening occurs among the live coals, but never on the 
top. The shovel and poker must be discarded, and only tongs used. 

Fungi — to preserve. — Take two ounces of sulphate of copper, or 
blue vitriol, and reduce it to powder, and pour upon it a pint of boil- 
ing water, and when cold, add half a pint of spirits of wine; cork it 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 167 

well, and call it "the pickle." To eight pints of water add one pint 
and a half of spirits of wine, and call it " the liquor." Be provided 
with a number of wide-mouthed bottles of different sizes, all well 
fitted Vv^ith corks. The fungi should be left on the table as long as 
possible, to allow the moisture to evaporate; they should then be 
placed in the pickle for three hours, or longer if necessary; then place 
them in the bottles intended for their reception, and fill with the 
liquor. They should then be well corked and sealed, and arranged 
in order with their names in front of the bottles. 

Furniture — to remove finger marks from. — Sweet oil will re- 
move finger marks from varnished furniture, and kerosene from oiled 
furniture. Patient rubbing with chloroform will remove paint from 
black silk or any other goods, and will not hurt the most delicate 
color or fabric. 

Furniture — to clean. — An old cabinet maker says the best prepara- 
tion for cleaning picture frames and restoring furniture, especially 
that somewhat marred or scratched, is a mixture of three parts lin- 
seed oil and one part spirits of turpentine. It not only covers the 
disfigured surface, but restores wood to its natural color, and leaves 
a luster upon its surface. Put on with a woolen cloth, and when dry, 
rub with woolen. 

Furniture — to remove bruises from. — Wet the part in warm water; 
double a piece of brown paper five or six times, soak in warm water, 
and lay it on the place; apply on that a warm, but not hot, flat-iron 
till the moisture is evaporated. If the bruise be not gone, repeat the 
process. After two or three applications the dent will be raised to 
the surface. If the bruise be small, merely soak it with warm Avater, 
and hold a red-hot iron near the surface, keeping the surface con- 
tinually wet — the bruise will soon disappear. 

Furniture (Carved) — to clean. — The best duster with which to 
clean carved furniture is a new paint brush; it will remove all the 
dust with it. 

Furniture — to remove marks from. — To take marks off varnished 
furniture, wet a sponge in common alcohol camphor, and apply it 
freely to the furniture. It has nearly, if not quite, the same effect 
that varnish has, and is much cheaper. » 

Furniture — to remove white stains from. — Have ready three 
pieces of woolen cloth, with one well dipped in lamp oil (or if that is 
not convenient, linseed oil,) rub the spot briskly, v/et the second with 
alcohol and apply to oily surface, rubbing quickly, as too much alco- 
hol will destroy the varnish, and finally polish with the third cloth, 
moistened with oil or furniture polish. 

Furniture Polish. — For -a polish to clean up and brighten old 
furniture, pianos, etc., dissolve four ounces orange shellac in one 
quart of ninety-five per cent, alcohol; to this add one quart of linseed 
oil, and one pint turpentine; when mixed add four ounces of sul- 
phuric ether, and four ounces of aqua ammonia; mix thoroughly and 



i6S IV HA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO IF. 

well before using. Apply with a cloth or sponge, and rub the surface 
to which it is applied until the polish appears. 

Furs — to clean — For dark furs: warm a quantity of new bran in a 
pan, taking care that it docs not burn, to prevent which it must be 
briskly stirred. When well warmed, rub it thoroughly into the fur 
with the hand. Repeat this two or three times, then shake the fur, 
and give it another sharp brushing until free from dust. For white 
furs: lay them on a table, and rub well with bran made moist with 
warm water; rub until quite dry, and afterward with dry bran. The 
wet bran should be put on with flannel, then dry with book muslin. 
Light furs, in addition to the above, should be well rubbed with mag- 
nesia or a piece of book muslin, after the bran process, agaii^st the 
way of the fur. Soiled white fur can be nicely cleaned by rubbing it 
thoroughly in white flour. It should then be hung out of doors for 
abtuit thirty minutes. Repeat the process several times, and the fur 
will be cqaial to new. 

Furs — to dye. — Any dye that will color wool will also color furs. 
In buying furs, examine the density and length of the down next the 
skin; this can easily be done by blowing briskly against the set of 
the fur; if it is very close and dense, it is all right, but if it opens 
easily and exposes much of the skin, reject it. 

Furs — to preserve. — Any of the following recipes may be used: i. 
Lay up along with the furs to be preserved a tallow candle. 

2. Take out the furs from the drawer, etc., frequently, beat them 
well, expose them to the air, and scent the box where they are kept 
with spirits of turpentine, camphor, Russia leather, or cedar wood. 

3. Pepper them well before putting them away. 

4. Wash them over with a very weak solution of corrosive subli- 
mate. If this solution leave a white powder on the fur when dry, it 
is too strong; ten grains to the pint will be enough. 

Furs — to revive. — Thoroughly sprinkle every part with hot flour 
and sand, and brush well wath a hard brush. Then beat with a cane; 
comb it smooth with a wet comb, and press it carefully with a warm 
iron. For ermine use plaster of Paris instead of Hour and sand, and 
treat in the same way. 

Galls — from saddle or harness — to heal. — White lead and linseed 
oil, mixed as for paint, is unrivaled for healing saddle, harness, or 
collar galls and bruises. -Try it, applying with a brush. It soon 
forms an air-tight coating and soothes the pain, powerfully assisting 
nature. 

Gcmc — to improve the flavor of. — Game of any kind which has 
been kept too long to be pleasant, which is frequently the case with 
grouse, may be very much improved by being placed for a night in 
milk, so as to soak thoroughly, after they have been picked, drawn, 
and washed clean in warm water. The game will cook a great deal 
better for the soaking, and the high flavor be much diminished. 

Game — to remove fishy taste from. — Pare a fresh lemon very 
carefully without breaking the thin white inside skin; put inside a 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. i6g 

wild duck and keep it there forty-eight hours, and all the fishy taste 
so disagreeable in wild fowl will be removed. Every twelve hours 
remove the lemon and replace with a fresh one. A lemon thus pre- 
pared will absorb unpleasant flavors from all meats and game. 

Gapes in Chickens — to remove. — Camphor pills will cure a chicken 
of the gapes. No medicine can reach them unless it does so by vapor. 
An hour after the chicken has swallowed the pill it smells of camphor. 
Camphor is a very strong vermifuge, and the worms die. 

Gapes in Fowls — to cure. — The parasite that causes gapes in fowl 
is of a red color and about three-quarters of an inch long. The reme- 
dies are numerous, but chiefly consist in removing the worms. One 
way is to moisten a feather from which all but the tip of the web has 
been stripped, with, oil, salt water, or a weak solution of carbolic 
acid, introduce it into the windpipe, twist it around once or twice, and 
then withdraw it. A teaspoonful of sulphur mixed with a quart of 
corn meal and water, and fed to the fowls morning and evening, is 
also a good remedy. 

Garden (Hanging) — to make. — A hanging garden of sponge is 
one of the latest novelties in gardening. Take a white sponge of 
large size, and sow it full of rice, oats, or whe?t. Then place it for a 
week or ten days in a shallow dish; and, as the sponge will absorb 
the moisture, the seeds will begin to sprout before many days. When 
this has fairly taken place, the sponge may be suspended by means of 
cords from a hook in top of the v/indow, where a little sun will enter. 
It will thus become a living mass of green, lequiring a little occasion- 
al moisture. 

Gardeners — hints to. — The handles of pruning knives, and all 
other impliments liable to be lost, should be painted of a bright red. 
The handles of knives and other small tools are usually of a color so 
near that of the soil, or that of the branches of trees and vines, that 
it is not easy to find them, if misplaced. 

Gargling Oil (Merchants'). — Take two and a half gallons linseed 
oil, two and a half gallons spirits of turpentine, one gallon western 
petroleum, eight ounces liquor potass, one ounce sap green, mix all 
together, and it is ready for use. 

Gargle — for sore throat. — i. A large tablespoonful of salt to half a 
tumbler of water, used as a gargle for sore throat just before mea! 
time, is an excellent remedy for such complaint. A little red pepper 
should be added if the salt water does not prove successful. Red 
pepper, honey or sugar, and sharp vinegar, simmered together, and 
then tempered with water so as not to be too strong, is a good reme- 
dy easily obtained. 

2. For sore throat, three drops of carbolic acid in a tablespoonful of 
water, used freely as a gargle, is a simple remedy one can keep in the 
house, and saves many a doctor's bill. 

Garget in Cows — cure for. — It is said that eight drops of tincture 
of aconite dropped on a piece of bread and mixed with the food at 



I70 WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

night, and next morning four drops more given in the same manner, 
will generally complete the cure of garget in cows. 

Garments (White Knitted) to clean. — Take those not needing 
w^ashing, being only slightly soiled, place them in a pillow-case, one 
at a time, sprinkle flour through it, and shake well, until it looks as 
bright as new. Borax is excellent to wash flannels with, dissolved 
in lukewarm water. 

Gas-meter — to prevent from freezing. — Half a pint of gooc 
glycerine is said to prevent the freezing of one gallon of water, 
though at least double the proportion is preferable in the country, 
whatever the temperature in the winter may happen to be. 

Geese — how to select. — In old birds the bills and feet are red, in 
young ones they are yellow. When fresh killed, the feet are pliable; 
when long kept, they become quite stiff. It is said that geese will 
thrive better, and their flesh be more delicately flavored if fed upon 
raw potatoes, than upon any other substance. 

Gems. — One ^^^ well beaten, one cup sweet milk, a little salt, and 
sufficient Graham flour to form a rather stiff batter, will make excel- 
lent gems. The gem-pans must be heated well, greased thoroughly, 
then filled even full with the batter, and put into a very hot oven to 
bake quickly. 

Gems (Corn). — One scant pint of meal, two tablespoonfals of sugar, 
a teaspoonful of salt, and a generous pint of boiling milk. Stir 
thoroughly and let stand until cool, then stir in three beaten eggs, 
and bake in buttered gem-pans. 

Gems (Graham). — i. Get fine Graham flour which you know to be 
made of the whole wheat, with the skin cut fine instead of being in 
large flakes. Into a dish of pure, cold, fresh water, say one quart, 
stir this flour, sifting in with one hand, and stirring with a spoon in 
the other, until it is a little too thick to settle flat when you stop stir- 
ring. Have your French roll-pans hot, fill them v/ith the batter, put 
them at once into a hot oven and bake them on the top first. This 
prevents the escape of the air, by the expansion of which they are 
made light. After ten or fifteen minutes place on the bottom of the 
oven and bake as much longer, or till they are done, when they will 
readily loosen from the pan. Serve warm or cold. 

2. One pint sweet milk, stir in Graham flour until the batter is a 
little thicker than for griddle cakes; add salt, one teaspoonful of 
sugar, and one egg well beaten. Cast-iron gem-pans are best. 
Grease and make very hot before the batter is put in; bake immedi- 
ately, in a hot oven. 

3. To one pint of sour milk take one ^gz, one spoonful of sugar, 
well beaten, and one teaspoonful of soda, and good fresh Graham 
flour enough to make a stiif batter. To be baked in iron gem-pans 
with a quick, hot fire. They will be delicious, light, puft'y, and 
tender. 

Gentian — medical uses of. — Gentian is an excellent tonic and 
stomachic; but when given in large doses, it acts as an aperient. It 



IVHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W, ijt 

fs used internally in all cases of general debility, and, when com- 
bined with bark, is used in intermittent fevers. It has also been em- 
ployed in indigestion, and it is sometimes used, combined with 
volatile salt, in that disease; but at other times alone, in the form of 
infusion. After diarrhoea it proves a useful tonic. Used externally, 
its infusion is sometimes applied to foul ulcers. Dose: Of the infu- 
sion, one and a half to two ounces; of the tincture, one to four drams; 
or the extract, from ten to thirty grains. 

Geraniums (Scarlet) — to preserve the old plants through the 
winter. — Take them out of the borders in autumn, before they have 
received any injury from frost, and let this be done on a dry day. 
Shake off all the earth from their roots, and suspend them, with their 
heads downward, in a cellar or dark room, where they will be free 
from frost. The leaves and shoots will become yellow and sickly; 
but when potted about the end of May, and exposed to a gentle heat, 
they will recover and vegetate luxuriantly. The old plants, stripped 
of their leaves, may also be packed closely in sand; and in this way, 
if kept free from frost, they will shoot out from the roots, and may 
be repotted in the spring. 

German Paste — useful food for singing-birds. — Take one pint of 
pea-flour, in which rub a new-laid egg; then add two ounces of fresh 
lard and three ounces of honey or treacle; continue to rub this well, 
so as to prevent its being in large lumps; when got to a fine powder, 
put it into a clean earthen pipkin, and place it over a slow and clear 
fire, until warmed through, stirring it all the while to prevent its 
burning. When sufficiently hot take it off and pass it through a fine 
wire sieve; then add about two ounces of maw-seed, and if hemp- 
seed is thought essential, give the small Russian whole, in preference 
to the common sort bruised, as it only tends to bring on the husk or 
dry cough. Birds will eat it whole, and it will do them equal good,- 
and prevent nasty and troublesome complaints, which oftentimes 
stop them when in full song, until they bring up the small particles 
of the hulls of the bruised hempseed. 

Gherkins. — Take small cucumbers (not young), steep for a week in 
very strong brine; it is then poured off, heated to the boiling point, 
and again poured on the fruit. The next day the gherkins are drained 
on a sieve, wiped dry, put into bottles or jars, with some spice, gin- 
ger, pepper, or cayenne, and at once covered with strong pickling 
vinegar. 

Gilt Cornices — to clean. — Wash them well with warm milk, and 
polish them with a soft wash-leather. 

Gilding China and Glass. — Powdered gold is mixed with borax 
and gum-water, and the solution applied with a camel's-hair pencil. 
Heat is then applied by a stove until the borax fuses, when the gold 
is fixed and afterward burnished. 

Gilding — to clean. — Remove all dust with a soft brush ; then wash 
the gilding lightly and rapidly with warm water in which an onion 
has been boiled. Dry it by rubbing with soft cloths. 



I ;3 U'JIA T £ VER Y OXE SHO ULD KNO IK 

Gilt Frames — to clean. — When the gilt frames of pictures or look- 
ing-glasses, or the moldings of rooms, have specks of dirt upon them 
from flies or other causes, they may be cleaned with white of egg, 
laid on with a camel's-hair pencil. 

Gilt Frames — to brighten. — Take sufficient flour of sulphur to 
give a golden tinge to about one and one-half-pints of water, and in 
this boil four or live bruised onions, or garlic, which will answer the 
same purpose. Strain off the liquid, and with it, when cold, wash 
with a soft brush any gilding which requires restoring, and when dry 
it will come out as bright as new work. 

Gilt Frames — reviver for. — White of eggs, two ounces; chloride of 
potash or soda, one ounce; mix well; blow off the dust from the 
frames; then go over them with a soft brush dipped in the mixture, 
and they will appear equal to new. 

Gilding Liquid.- — Take of fine gold, five ounces (troy); nitro-mu- 
riatic acid, fifty-two ounces; dissolve by heat, and continue the heat 
until red or yellow vapors are evolved; decant the liquid into a 
proper vessel; add of distilled water, four gallons; pure bicarbonate 
of potash, twenty pounds; boil for two hours. 

Gilding — without a battery. — Clean the silver or other article to 
be gilded with a brush and a little ammonia water, until it is evenly 
bright and shows no tarnish. Take a small piece of gold and dissolve 
it in about four times its volume of metallic mercury, which will be 
accomplished in a few minutes, forming an amalgam. Put a little of 
the amalgam on a piece of dry cloth, rub it. on the article to be gilded. 
Then place on a stone in a furnace, and heat to the beginning of red- 
ness. After cooling, it must be cleaned with a brush and a little 
cream of tartar, and a beautiful and permanent gilding will be found. 

Gilding on Wood. — To giid in oil, the wood after being properly 
prepared is covered with a coat of gold size, made of drying linseed 
oil mixed with yellow ochre; when this has become so dry as to ad- 
here to the fingers without soiling them, the gold leaf is laid on with 
great care and dexterity and pressed down with cotton wool; places 
that have been missed are covered with small pieces of gold leaf, and 
when the whole is dry, the ragged bits are rubbed of! with the cotton. 
This is by far the easiest mode of gilding; any other metallic leaves 
may be applied in a similar manner. Pale leaf gold has a greenish 
yellow color, and is an alloy of gold and silver. Dutch gold leaf is 
only copper leaf colored with the fumes of zinc; being much cheaper 
than true gold leaf, it is very useful when large quantities of gilding 
are required in places where it can be defended from the weather, as 
it changes color if exposed to moisture, and it should be covered with 
varnish. Silver leaf is prepared every way the same as gold leaf; 
but when applied should be kept well covered with varnish, other- 
wise it is liable to tarnish; a transparent yellow varnish will give it 
the appearance of gold. Whenever gold is fixed by means of linseed 
oil, it will bear washing off, which burnished gold will not. 

Ginger Snaps. — One cup of lard, one cup of molasses, one cup of 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 173 

sugar, one teaspoonful of ginger, one teaspoonful of soda dissolved 
in a little water. Boil the sugar, molasses and lard five minutes; let 
it cool, then add the other ingredients, and flour to make stiff; bake 
in a quick oven and keep in a dry, open place. 

Glass — how to cut. — It is not generally known that glass may be 
cut, under water, with a strong pair of scissors. If a round or oval be 
required, take apiece of common window glass, draw the shape upon 
it in a black line; sink it with your left hand under water as deep as 
you can without interfering with the view of the line, and with your 
right use the scissors to cut away what is not required. 

Another way is to dip a worsted thread in spirits of turpentine, and 
tie it close round the glass where it is intended to be cut; then set fire 
to the thread, and, while it is burning, plunge the glass into cold 
water, or well wet the thread with it. The glass will break easily in 
the direction of the thread. 

Glass and China^ — to drill. — To drill china use a copper drill and 
emery, moistened with spirits of turpentine. To drill glass, use a 
steel drill tempered as hard as possible and camphor and water as a 
lubricant. Moisten the tool Avith dilute sulphuric acid. This last is 
better than turpentine. 

Glasses — hints upon using. — Persons finding their eyes becoming 
dry and itching on reading as well as those who find it necessary to 
place an object nearer than fourteen inches from their face to read, 
need spectacles. Persons under forty years of age should not wear 
glasses until the accommodating power of the eyes has been sus- 
pended and the exact state of refraction determined by a competent 
ophthalmic surgeon. The spectacle glasses sold by peddlers and by 
jewelers generally are hurtful to the eyes of those who read much, as 
the lenses are made of inferior sheet glass and are not symmetrically 
ground. No matter how perfectly the lenses may be made, unless 
they are mounted in a suitable frame and properly placed before the 
eye, discomfort will arise from their prolonged use. 

There are three systems of grading spectacle lenses, the English, 
the metric and the Prussian. Those made to supply the demands of 
the trade in this country are carelessly made, and are poor imitations 
of either the English or the metrical system. The metrical scale has 
no English equivalent, is not graded by any uniform rule of dividing 
the inter-focal spaces, and is therefore unsuited to the exacting de- 
mands of science. 

Persons holding objects too near the face endanger the safety of 
their eyes, and incur the risk of becoming near-sighted. 

The near-sighted eye is an unsound eye, and should be fully cor- 
rected with a glass, notwithstanding the fact it may need no aid for 
reading. The proper time to begin wearing glasses is just as soon as 
the eyes tire on being subjected to prolonged use. 

Glass (Imitation Ground). — i. Dissolve ninety grains of sandarac 
and twenty grains of mastic in two ounces of washed ether, and add, 
in small quantities, a sufficiency of benzine to make it dry with a suit- 



174 ir^^^i T EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

able grain — too little making the varnish too transparent, and excess 
makes it crapcy. The quantity of benzine required depends upon its 
quality — from one-half to one and one-half ounces, or even more, but 
the best results are got with a medium quality. It is important to use 
washed ether, free from spirit. 

2. To make imitation ground glass that steam will not destroy, put 
a piece of putty in muslin, twist the fabric tight and tie it into the 
shape of a pad; well clean the glass first, and then putty it all over. 
The putty will exude sufficiently through the muslin to render the 
stain opaque. Let it dry hard; and then varnish. If a pattern is re- 
quired, cut it out in paper as a stencil, place it so as not to slip and 
proceed as above, removing the stencil when finished. If there should 
be any objection to the existence of the clear spaces, clear with 
slightly opaque varnish. In this way very neat and cheap signs may 
be painted on glass doors. 

Glass Stoppers — to loosen. — Put one or two drops of sweet oil 
rouTul the stopper, close to the mouth of the bottle; then put it a little 
distance from the fire. When the decanter gets warm, have a wcioden 
instrument with a cloth wrapped tightly round it; then strike the 
stopper, first on one side, then on the other; by persevering a little 
while, you will most likely get it out. Or you may lay the bottle in 
warm water, so that the neck of the stopper may be under water. 
Let it soak for a time, then knock it with a wooden instrument as be- 
fore. To remove a glass stopper, drop some glycerine in the sur- 
rounding crevice, antl after an hour or two it will loosen. 

Glass Tubes — to bend. — Hold the tube in the upper part of the 
flame of a spirit-lamp, revolving it slowly between the fingers; when 
red hot it may be easily bent into any desired shape. To soften large 
tubes a lamp w'ith a double current of air should be used, as it gives 
a much stronger heat than the simple lamp. 

Glass — to prevent cracking. — i. While pouring \-ery hot water into 
a tutnblcr, or i>ther glass vessel, never hold the tumbler in your hand, 
but leave it on a tray or table. It is advisable also to warm the glass 
before using it, and to keep a spoon in it during the time of pouring. 
These are the best methods to prevent the cracking of the glass. 

2. Place your tumblers, chimneys, or vessels which you desire to 
keep from cracking in a pot filled with cold water and a little cooking 
salt; allow the mixture to boil well over a fire, and then cool slowly. 
Glass treated in this way is said not to crack, even if exposed to very 
sudden changes of temperature. Chimneys become very durable by 
this process, which may also be extended to crockery, stoneware, por- 
celain, etc. The process is simply one of annealing, ami the slower 
the process, especially the cooling portion of it, the more cfTective will 
be the work. 

Glass ^Soluble). — Take of pure sand, fifteen parts; charcoal, one 
pari; and purified potash, ten parts. Mix and heat in a fireproof 
melting-pot for five hours, or until the whole fuses uniformly. Take 



WIIA T E VER V OA^E SHO ULD KNO W, 175 

out tl]c melted mass; and, when cold, powder it and dissolve it in 
boilinfi^ water. 

Glass — to ornament. — In niakinpf scrolls, eagles, etc., on glass, 
some painters put on the outlines and shades first, and then lay the 
gold leaf over all; another good way is to scratch the shades on to 
the gold leaf after it is dry, and put the colors on the back of the 
gol(l. Silver leaf may be used in the same manner as gold, but it 
will not wear as well. A very pretty letter may be made l)y incorpo- 
rating silver with gold: take paper and cut any fancy design to fit the 
parts of the letter; stick it on the size before laying the leaf, allowing 
it to dry and wash off as before; then with a i)enknife raise the paper 
figure, and the exact shape or form of the figure will be found cut out 
of (he gold letter; clean off nicely, apply more size, and lay silver 
leaf to cover the vacant spots; wash off when dry, and a very hand- 
some letter will be the result. Colors may be used instead of silver, 
if desired, or a silver letter edged or "cut up" with gold, will look 
well 

Glass and Porcelain Gilding. — Dissolve in linseed oil an equal 
weight either o{ copal or amber; add as much oil of turpentine as will 
enable you to apply the compound or size thus formed, as thin as 
possible, to the parts of the glass intended to be gilt. The glass is to 
be placed in a stove till it will almost burn the fingers when handled; 
at this temperature the size becomes adhesive, and a piece oi gold 
leaf, applied in the usual way, will immediately stick. Sweep off the 
supcrlluotis portions of the leaf, and when quite cold it may be bur- 
nished; taking care to interpose a piece of India paper between the 
gold and the burnisher. 

Glass Powder. — To reduce glass to a fine powder, first heat it in a 
furnace to a slightly red heat; then throw it into cold water for a few 
minutes; dry it, and after this preparation it may readily be beaten to 
a fine powder. •* 

Glass — to drill and ornament. — Glass can be easily drilled by a 
steel drill, hardened but not drawn, and driven at a high velocity. 
Holes of any size, from the sixteenth of an inch upward, can be 
drilled, by using spirits of turpentine as a drip ; and, easier still, by 
using camphor with the turpentine. Do not press the glass very h.ard 
against the drill. If you require to ornament glass by turning in a 
lathe, use a goo<l inill file and the turpentine and camphor drip, and 
you will find it an easy matter to ]iroduce any shape you choose. 

Glass — grinding for signs, shades, etc. — After you have etched a 
name or other design upon uncolored glass, and wish to have it show 
off to better advantage by permitting the light to i)ass only through 
the letters, you can do so by taking a piece of flat brass sufficiently 
large not to dip into the letters, but pass over them when gilding upon 
the surface of the glass; then, with flour of emery, and keeping it 
wet, you can grind the whole surface, very quickly, to look like the 
ground glass globes often seen upon lamps, except the letter, which is 
eaten below the general surface. 



176 IVHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO JF. 

Gloss on Linen — to produce. — Put boiling water in a vessel, and 
add pieces of white wax and spermaceti about the size of a half dol- 
lar, boil well together, and then remove from the fire and add starch 
m.ixcd with cold water. Stir well while mixing, and put it back on 
the fire, boil two or three minutes, stirring well. Rub well into the 
clothes, and when ironing, use a common iron, and then take a damp 
'oth, wrung out well in hot water, and rub over the shirt and collar, 
. ad use the polisher right away, and I can really say you will have as 
liicc a polish as any one could wish for. 

Gloss on Black Silk — to remove. — When the gloss is caused by 
constant wear, moisten the silk with a sponge, lay a damp cloth over 
it, and pass a hot iron quickly over the cloth several times till it is 
quite dry. 

Gloves (Kid) — to clean. — i. Make a thick mucilage by boiling a 
handful of flax-seed, add a little dissolved soap, then when the mix- 
ture cools; with a piece of white flannel wipe the gloves, previously 
fitted to the hand; use only enough of the cleaner to take off the dirt, 
without wetting through the glove. 

2. A simple method of cleaning white or light-colored kid gloves, 
is to dip a bit of flannel in a lather made of milk and curd-soap, and 
gently rub the gloves till the soils disappear; a wooden mold of a 
hand of suitable size greatly facilitates this operation, but if you have 
none, you must put the glove on your own hand. 

Gloves (Black Kids) — to clean. — To clean black kid gloves take a 
teaspoonful of salad oil, drop a few drops of ink in it, and rub it over 
the gloves with the tip of a feather; then let them dry in the sun. 

Glue Directions. — Good glue should be of a light brown color, 
semi-transparent, and free from waves or cloudy lines. Glue loses 
much of its strength by frequent melting; therefore, glue which is 
newly made is preferable to that which has been re-boiled. The hot- 
ter the glue the better the joint. In all large and long joints it should 
be applied immediately after boiling. Emploj' pressure until it is set 
or hardened. 

Glue (Bank-note). — Dissolve one pound of fine glue or gelatine in 
water; evaporate it till moLL of the water is expelled; add half a pound 
of brown sugar, and pour it into molds. 

Glue (Fire and Waterp-oof). — Mix a handful of quick-lime with 
four ounces of linseed oil; thoroughly lixiviate the mixture; boil it to 
a good thickness, and spread it in thin plates in the shade; it will be- 
come very hard, but can be dissolved over a lire, like common glue, 
and is then fit for use. 

Glue (Family). — Crack the glue and put it in a bottle, add common 
whisky, shake up, cork tight, and in three or four days it can be used. 
It requires no heating, Avill keep for almost any length of time, and is 
at all times ready to use, except in the coldest of weather, when it 
v.-ill require warming. It must be kept tight, so that the Vv'hisky v;ill 
not evaporate. The usual corks or stoppers should not be used. It 



WffA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 177 

will become clogged. A tin stopper, covering the bottles, but fitting 
as closely as possible, must be used. 

Glue — for inlaying or veneering-. — Select the best light brown glue, 
free from clouds or streaks. Dissolve this in water, and to every pint 
add half a gill of the best vinegar and half an ounce of isinglass. 

Glue — for labelling on metals. — Boiling water, one quart; pulver- 
ized borax, two ounces; gum shellac, four ounces. Boil till dissolved. 
Use for attaching labels to metals, or it will do to write inscriptions 
with, and dust or dab on a little bronze powder over it, varnishing 
over the bronze. 

Glue (Liquid). — i. In a wide-mouthed bottle dissolve eight ounces 
of best glue in half pint of water, by setting it in a vessel of water and 
heating it till dissolved; then add slowly, constantly stirring, two 
and a half ounces of strong aquafortis (nitric acid). Keep it well 
corked, and it will be ready for use. It is a handy and valuable com- 
position, as it does not gelatinize, nor undergo putrefaction and fer- 
mentation, and become offensive, and is always ready for use. 

2. Dissolve one part of powdered alum in a hundred and twenty 
parts of water; add one hundred and twenty parts of glue, ten of 
acetic acid, and forty of alcohol, and digest. Prepared glue is made 
by dissolving common glue in warm water, and then adding acetic 
acid (strong vinegar) to keep it. Dissolve one pound of best glue in 
one and a half pints of water, and add one pint of vinegar. It is then 
ready for use. 

3. To one ounce of borax in a pint of boiling water, add two ounces 
of shellac, and boil till the shellac is dissolved. 

4. A useful glue for fastening papers together only by being wetted 
by the tongue, is made as follows: Dissolve one pound of glue or 
gelatine in water, add half a pound of brown sugar, and boil them to- 
gether. Make into cakes by pouring into shapes. It becomes solid 
when cold. 

Glue — to manufacture. — This article is usually made from the 
parings and waste pieces of hides and skins, the refuse of tanneries, 
the tendons and other offal of slaughter houses. They ought to be 
obtained and kept in the dry state, to prevent decomposition. For 
use, they are first steeped for fourteen or fifteen days in milk of lime, 
ind then drained and dried; this constitutes the cleaning or the pre- 
paration. Before conversion into glue they are usually steeped in 
weak milk of lime, well worked in water, and exposed to the air for 
twenty-four hours. They are then placed in a copper boiler two- 
thirds filled with water and furnished with a perforated false bottom, 
to prevent them from burning, and as much is piled on as will fill the 
vessel and rest on the top of it. Heat is next applied, and gentle 
boiling continued until the liquor on cooling becomes a gelatinous 
mass. The clear portion is then run off into another vessel, where it 
is kept hot by a water bath, and allowed to repose for some hours 
to deposit, when it is run into the congealing boxes and placed in a 
cool situation. The next morning the cold gelatinous mass is turned 



I7S IF7/A T EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

out upon boards wetted with water, and are cut horizontally in thin 
cakes with a stretched piece of brass wire, and into smaller cakes 
with a moistened flat knife. These cakes are placed upon nettings to 
dry, after which they are dipped one by one into hot water and 
slightly rubbed with a brush wetted with boiling water, to give them 
a gloss; they are lastly stove-dried for sale. During this time the 
undissolved skins, etc., left in the copper is treated with water and the 
whole operation is repeated again and again, as long as any gelatinous 
matter is extracted. The first runnings produce the finest and best 
glue. The refuse matter from the tanners and leather dressers yields 
on the average, when dried, fifty per cent, of its weight in glue. 

Glue (Marine). — i. India rubber, one part; coaltar, twelve parts; 
heat gently; mix, andadd twenty parts of powdered shellac; pour out 
to cool; when used, heat to about two hundred and fifty degrees. 

2. Glue, twelve parts; water suflicient to dissolve; add yellow 
resin, three parts; melt; then add turpentine, four parts; mix thorough- 
ly together 

Glue — to resist moisture. — Glue, five parts; resin, four parts; red 
ochre, tw(^ parts; mix with smallest possible quantity of water. 

Glue (Parchment). — Parchment shavings, one pound; water, six 
quarts. Boil till dissolved, strain and evaporate to right consist- 
ency. 

Glue (Portable) — for draughtsmen. — Glue, five ounces; sugar, 
two ounces; water, eight ounces; melt in a water bath; cast it in 
molds. For use dissolve in warm water. 

Glue — to prevent cracking. — To prevent glue from cracking when 
dry, adil al)out one tablespoonful of glycerine to a pint of solution 
while it is hot. 

Glue (Waterproof). — i. Boil one pound of common glue in two 
cjuarts of skinmRHl milk. This withstands the action of the weather. 

2. Melt common glue with the smallest possible quantity of water; 
add, by degrees, linseed oil, rendered drying by boiling with litharge. 
While the oil is being added, the ingredients must be well stirred, to 
incorporate them thoroughly. 

Glycerine Preparation. — New rum, one quart; concentrated spirits 
of ammonia, fifteen drops; glycerine oil, one ounce; lac sulphur, five 
and one-half drams; sugar of lead, five and one-half drams; put the 
liquor into a bottle; add the ammonia, then the other components. 
Shake the compound occasionally for four or five days. 

Gold Articles — to restore color. — Tarnished gold colored articles 
may be restored by the following method: Dissolve one ounce of bi- 
carbonate of soda, one-half an ounce of chloride of lime, and one-half 
an ounce of common salt in about four ounces of boiling water. Take 
a clean brush, and wash the article with the hot solution for a few 
seconds and rinse immediately in two clean waters. Dry in warm 
sawdust, and finally rub over with tissue paper. 

Gold — artificial.— This is a new metallic alloy which is now very 
extensively used in France as a substitute for gold. Pure copper, 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SIIO ULD KNO W, lyg 

one hundred "parts: zinc, or, preferably, tin, seventeen parts; mag- 
nesia, six parts; sal-ammoniac, three-sixths parts; quick-lime, one- 
eighth part; tartar of commerce, nine parts; are mixed as follows: 
The copper is melted first, and the magnesia, sal-ammoniac, lime and 
tartar are then added separately, and by degrees, in the form of pow- 
der; he whole is now briskly stirred for about half an hour, so as to 
.nix horoughly; and then the zinc is added in small grains by throw- 
ing it on the surface, and stirring till it is entirely fused; the crucible 
is then covered, and the fusion maintained for about thirty-five min- 
utes. The surface is then skimmed, and the alloy is ready for cast- 
ing. It has a fine grain, is malleable, and takes a splendid polish. It 
docs not corrode readily, and for many purposes is an excellent sub- 
stitute for gold. When tarnished, its brilliancy can be restored by a 
little acidulated water. If tin be employed instead of zinc, the alloy 
will be more brilliant. 

Gold-fish — hints on. — Where gold-fish are kept in vessels in 
rooms, they should be in spring water. The water will require to be 
changed, according to the size of the vessel or the number of fish 
kept therein; but it is not well to change the water too often. In a 
vessel that will hold a common sized pail of water, two fish may be 
kept by changing the water once a fortnight; and so on in proportion. 
If any food is supplied them, it should be a few crumbs of bread 
dropped into the water once or twice a week. 

Gold (Green) — to make. — Melt together nineteen grains of pure 
gold and five grains pure silver. The metal thus prepared has a beau- 
tiful green shade. 

Gold (Imitation) — to make. — The following recipes for metals 
resembling gold are said to produce a metal which will so nearly ap- 
proximate the genuine as almost to defy detection, without a resort 
to thorough tests: Fuse, together with saltpetre, sal-ammoniac, and 
powdered charcoal, four parts platinum, two and one-half parts pure 
copper, one part pure zinc, two parts block tin, and one and one-half 
parts pure lead. Another good recipe calls for two parts platinum, 
one part silver, and three parts copper. 

Gold — to clean. — Dissolve a little sal-ammoniac in urine ; boil 
your soiled gold therein, and it will become clean and brilliant. 

Gold Lacquer. — Gold lacquer, closely resembling the real Chinese 
article, is made by first melting to a perfectly fluid mixture two parts 
copal and one part shellac. To this add two parts good boiled oil. 
Remove the vessel from the fire, and gradually mix in ten parts oil of 
turpentine. To give color, add a solution of gum guttfc in turpen- 
tine for yellow, or of dragon's blood for red; a suflScient quantity of 
coloring material being used to give the desired shade. 

Gold Plating Solution — to make and apply. — Dissolve one-half 
ounce of gold amalgam in one ounce of nitro-muriatic acid. Add 
two ounces of alcohol, and then, having brightened the article in the 
usual way, apply the solution with a soft brush. Rinse and dry in 
sawdust, or with tissue-paper, and polish up with chamois-skin. 



i8o IFHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

Gold — to refine. — If you desire to refine e^old from the baser met- 
als, swedge or roll it out very thin, then cut into narrow strips and 
curl up so as to prevent its lying flatly. Drop the pieces thus pre- 
pared into a vessel containing good nitric acid, in the proportion, of 
acid, two ounces; and pure rain-water, one-half ounce. Suffer to re- 
main until thoroughly dissolved, which will be the case in from one- 
half an hour to one hour. Then pour off the liquid carefully, and 
you will find the gold, in the form of yellow powder, lying at the 
bottom of the vessel. Wash this with pure water till it ceases to have 
an acid taste, after which you may melt and cast into any form you 
choose. Gold treated in this way may be relied on as perfectly pure. 
In melting gold use none other than a charcoal fire, and during the 
process sprinkle saltpetre and potash into the crucible occasionally. 
Do not attempt to melt with stone coal, as it renders the metal brittle 
and otherwise imperfect. 

Gonorrhoea — positive cure for. — Liquor of potass, one-half ounce; 
bitter apple, one-half ounce; spirits of sweet nitre, one-half ounce; 
balsam of copaiba, one-half ounce; best gum, one-quarter ounce. To 
use, mix with peppermint watei*; take one-half teaspoonful three 
times per day. Cure certain in nine days. 

Goose (Roast). — Boil and mash some potatoes ; fill the goose with 
them. When half roasted, take out the potatoes and have ready a 
stuffing of sage, bread-crumbs, parboiled onions; fill the goose and 
finish roasting. This is a great improvement on the old mode, as it 
draws out the fat, and makes the fov/1 very delicate. 

Gout Remedy. — Half an ounce of nitre (saltpetre), half an ounce 
of sulphur, half an ounce of flour of mustard, half an ounce of Turkey 
rhubarb, a quarter of an ounce of powdered guaicum. Mix, and 
take a tablespoonful every other night for three nights, and omit 
three nights, in a wineglassful of cold water, water which has been 
previously well boiled. 

Gout (Chronic) — to cure. — Take hot vinegar, and put into it all 
the table salt which it will dissolve, and bathe the parts affected with 
a soft piece of flannel. Rub in with the hand and dry the foot, etc., 
by the fire. Repeat this operation four times in twenty-four hours, 
fifteen minutes each time, for four days; then twice a day for th« 
same period; then once, and follow this rule whenever the symptoms 
show themselves at any future time. 

Gout Tincture. — Veratrum viride (swamp hellebore), half an ounce; 
opium, one-quarter ounce; wine, half a pint. Let them stand for 
several days. Dose, fifteen to thirty drops, according to the robust- 
ness of the patient, at intervals of two to four hours. 

Grafting Wax — to make. — Common grafting wax is made by 
taking one part of tallow, three of beeswax and four of resin, and 
melting them together over a slow fire. Melt the resin first, and put 
in the other ingredients after, stirring well together. 

Graham Wafers — for the sick. — One cup of Graham flour, one 
and one-third cups of boiling water, and one-half teaspOonful of salt. 



JVHA T E VER V ONE SI/0 ULD KNO W. i8i 

Put the salt into the boiling water, pour the water gradually on the 
Graham, beat thoroughly, and set away to cool. When cool, spread 
on sheets or pans as thin as the blade of a knife. Bake in a moder- 
ate oven about twelve minutes. Sick people can eat this when they 
can eat no other bread. 

Granite — to imitate. — For the ground color, stain your white lead 
to a light lead color with lampblack and a little rose pink. Throw 
on black spots, with agraniting machine, a pale red, and fill up with 
white before the ground is dry. 

Grape Ambrosia. — Make a batter as for gems. Line a pudding 
dish with the batter half an inch deep. Put on this a layer of grapes, 
with sugar to sweeten, (the less the better) and a slight sprinkling of 
flour, then another layer of grapes, not making the dish more than 
half full. Cover the whole with batter and bake one hour, on the 
top first, then on the bottom. Be careful not to let the juice run 
away. Serve warm or cold. 

Grapes — to keep. — If grapes mature perfectly they may be kept"^ 
for a considerable length of time if cut without bruising, and hung up 
in a dry, cool, and rather dark cellar. The stem should be covered, 
when cut, with Avax, and hung with the stem up. Immature grapes 
will not keep in this way or any other. 

Grapes — to preserve all winter. — By the following process a 
Frenchman, M. Charmeaux, preserves grapes so that they are as 
fresh in the spring and early summer as when picked from the vine: 

" The grapes are allowed to remain on the vines as long as the 
weather permits. They are then cut in such a manner that apiece of 
the vine remains on both sides of the stem of each bunch. It is best 
to leave two buds or nodes above, and three or four below. The 
upper end is carefully sealed with wax, the lower is inserted in a suit- 
ably sized vial filled with water, to which, in order to prevent decay, 
a quantity of charcoal powder is added. The neck of the vial is then 
closed around the bit of vine by means of wax. The grapes thus 
prepared are either hung up, or laid on straw or cotton, in a cool, not 
freezing room, where they k^ep with no other care than removing 
such berries as will from time to time occasionally decay." 

Grapes — to preserve. — Take a cask or barrel which will hold wa- 
ter, and put into it, first, a layer of bran, dried in an oven, or of 
ashes, well dried and sifted; upon this place a layer of grapes well 
cleaned, and gathered in the afternoon of a dry day, before they are 
perfectly ripe; proceed thus with alternate layers of l)ran or ashes and 
grapes, till the barrel is full, taking care that the grapes do not touch 
each other, and let the last layer be of bran or ashes; then close the 
barrel, so that the air may not penetrate, which is an essential point. 
Grapes thus packed will keep for nine or even twelve months. Tore- 
store them to freshness, cut the end of the stock of each bunch of 
grapes, and put it into red wine, as you would fiowers into water. 
White grapes should be put into white wine. 

Grapes (Wax) — to make. — To make wax grapes, take annealed 



1 82 JVIIA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

wire that is stiff enough to support it — I don't remember the number 
— wind a little cotton on one end, double it over to prevent its pulling 
off; then, for what is called Black Hamburg, color common resin 
with lamp-black and melt gradually, then dip the cotton end in the 
resin, then in cold water, and press it tight with the fingers; when it 
is cold continue to dip it in the resin, then in the water to cool, until 
it is as large as wanted, being careful to turn it when just out of the 
resin to get the required shape and size; lastly, dip in hot wax previ- 
ously colored with blue and red paint, and hold grape in cup so it will 
drain. Ivich kind has its color of paint. 

Grapevines — winter care of. — All varieties of grapevines not 
thoroughly hardy shoidd receive some winter protection to secure 
best results, and it is claimed by many that it pays to give protec- 
tion to the hardiest kinds even. Some growers attribute their success 
with Delaware, Duchess, Roger's Hybrids, etc., simply to covering, 
while their neighbors signally fail with the same varieties. As the 
treatment in both cases is exactly alike, the different results can only 
be attributed to the protection given in one case and its omission in 
the other: The process is simple, and depends on the extent of the 
operation. After the vines have shed their leaves and matured their 
wood, they should be pruned, and, on the approach of cold weather, 
loosened from the trellis, bent down on the ground, and held there 
with stakes, rails, or something similar. This is sometimes found 
sufficient, especially when snow lies till late in the spring. If not 
satisfied with this dependence, a slight covering with leaves, straw, 
cornstalks, limbs of evergreens, will prove effectual. If danger is to 
be apprehended from the depredations of mice, which in some sections 
are very troublesome, a slight covering of earth on the top is all that 
is necessary. It should be remembered that it is the young wood of 
the present season's growth that is to be protected — this contains the 
buds in which are the embryo fruit cluster for next year's crop. Of 
course, similar protection would not hurt the old wood, but it is not 
always feasible to provide it. But the main question necessarily 
preceding all this, on which depends the success or entire failure of 
the whole operation, is the maturity and thorough ripening of the 
wood. 

Grasses — "ways to crystalize. — i. Ladies who admire beautiful 
bouquets of grass, will appreciate the following recipe; Take one and 
one-half pounds of rock alum, pour on three pints of boiling water; 
when quite cool, put in a wide-mouthed vessel, hang in your grasses, 
a few at a time. Do not let them get too heavy, or the stems will 
not support them. You may again heat alum and add more grasses. 
By ailding a little coloring matter it will give a pleasing variety. 

2. 1 make a brine by boiling one quart of common salt in two and 
one-half quarts t)f water for fifteen inituites. 1 tie my grasses in small 
bunches, and suspend as many as I can in a wide-mouthed jar. The 
salt will not quite all dissolve, but stir it, and pour while hot over the 
grass. Place in a dark room, or the cellar, where it will not be 



IV HA T. E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 183 

shaken. I let it stand twenty-four hours, then gently lift the grasses 
out and hang them up to dry. In a few hours they will be white and 
glistening as the " driven snow." 

Gravel. — Steep one-half pound of hops in a quart of water and give 
it as hot as the horse can stand it. 

Gravel and Kidney Complaints — drops for. — Oil of origanum, one 
ounce; oil of hemlock, one-quarter ounce; oil of sassafras, one- 
quarter ounce; oil of anise, one-half ounce; alcohol, one pint; mix. 
Dose, from one-half to one teaspoonful three times a day, in svi^eet- 
ened water, will soon give relief when constant weakness is felt 
across the small of the back, as well as gravelly affections causing 
pain about to kidneys. 

Gravel Houses — how to build. — Thir, is the best building material 
in the world. It is four times cheaper than wood, six times cheaper 
than stone, and superior to either. Proportions for mixing: To eight 
barrows «f slaked lime, well deluged with water, add fifteen barrows 
of sand; mix these to a creamy consistency, then add sixty barrows 
of coarse gravel, which must be worked well and completely. You 
can throw stones into this mixture of any shape or size, up to ten 
inches in diameter. Form mold for the walls of the house by fixing 
boards horizontally against upright standards, which must be im- 
movably braced so that they will not yield to the immense pressure 
outward as the material settles; set the standards in pairs around the 
building where the walls are to stand, from six to eight feet apart, and 
so wide that the inner space shall form the thickness of the wall. 
Into the molds thus formed throw in the concrete material as fast 
as you choose, and the more promiscuously, the better. In a short 
time the gravel will get as hard as the solid rock. 

Grease — to remove. — Aqua ammonia, two ounces, soft water, one 
quart; saltpeter, one teaspoonful; shaving soap in shavings, one 
ounce; mix together; dissolve the soap well, and any grease or dirt 
that cannot be removed with this preparation, nothing else need be 
tried for it. 

Grease Spots — to remove from carpets. — Cover the spots with 
flour, then pin a thick paper over; repeat the process several times, 
each time brushing off the old flour and putting on fresh. 

Grease — to remove from v/oolen. — Fuller's earth or tobacco-pipe 
clay, being put wet on an oil spot, absorbs the oil as the waiter evap- 
orates, and leaves the vegetable or animal fibers of the cloth clean 
on being beaten or brushed out. When the spot is occasioned 
by tallow or wax, it is necessary to heat the part cautiously by an 
iron, or the fire, while the cloth is drying. In some kinds of goods, 
blotting-paper, bran, or raw starch may be used with advantage. 

Grease Spots — to remove from cloth. — An excellent mixture to 
remove grease spots, from boys' and men's clothing particularly, is 
made of four parts of alcohol to one part of ammonia and about half 
as much ether as ammonia. Apply the liquid to the grease spot, and 
then rub diligently with a sponge and clear water. The chemistry of 



iS4 // 'HA T E VER ) " c'>.\ '/•; SHO I 'LD KXO Jf '. 

the operation seems to be that the alcohol and ether dissolve the 
grease, anil the ammonia forms a soap with which it is washed out 
r.'ith Ihe water. The result is much more satisfactory than when 
sometliinij^ is useil which only seems to spreatl the spot ami make it 
fainter, but does not actually remove it. If oil is spiled on a carpet 
antl vou immediately scatter corn meal over it, the oil will be ab- 
sorbed by it. Oil may also be removed from car{)ets on which you 
do not dare put ether or ammonia by laying- thick blotting paper over 
it and pressing a hot thit-irot\ on it. Repeat the operation several 
limes, using a cleai\ paper each time. Machine grease can be remov- 
ed from fabrics by the use of cold water and soap. 

Grease — to remove from paper. — If you wish to remove grease 
from paper, scrape finely some pipe clay, and completely cover the 
spot to be cleaned. Then pass a hot iron over it for a few seconds, 
ami with a perfectly clean piece of India rubber, rub off the clay. 
In most cases, one application will be sufficient, but if not, Tepeat it. 

Grease Heel. — Lye made from wood asiics, and boil white oak 
bark in it till it is quite strong, both in lye and bark ooze; when it is 
cold, it is tit for use. Wash off the horse's legs with castile soap; 
when dry, api^ly the above lye with a swab fasteneii on a long stick 
to keep out of his reach, as the smart caused by the application might 
make him let lly without much warning; but it is a sure cure, only it 
brings off the hair. Vo restore the hair after the cure is effected, 
make ami apply a salve by stewang elder bark in old bacon; then form 
the salve bv adding a little resin, according to the amount of oil when 
stewed, or one-half pouiul resin to each pound of oil. 

Green Blinds (Faded) — to restore. — Green blinds that have 
failed may be nuide to look like new by oiling over with a brushing; of 
linseed oil. 

Green Corn — to keep. — Gather the corn when in good eating state; 
place the corn, cob and all in a vessel and i^our boiling water over it. 
Let il remain in the hot water from throe to five minutes, tiien cut the 
corn from the cob; put a layer of corn, then a layer of salt in large 
stone jars. When full, weight down; keep adding layers as the corn 
sinks down in the jar; the salt nu\kes a brine without v»ater; when 
used, soak all night in clear, cold water. 

Griddle Cakes. — Beat two eggs, add a pint (or a little more) of 
sour n\ilk and a teaspoonful of salt. Then sift in suiiicient flour to 
make proper consistency, and lastly, beat in well a rounding tea- 
spoonful of soda. 

Grindstones from Common Sand. — Riversand, thirty-two pounds; 
shellac, ten parts; powdered glass, two parts; melt in an iron pot, 
tnd cast into molds. 

Ground Glass (Imitation cf> — -ways to paint. — i. Grind and mix 
wliite lead in tlucc-fourths of boiled oil and one-fourth spirits of tur- 
pentine, and to give the mixture a very drying quality, add sufiicient 
quantities of burned white vitriol and sugar of lead. The color must 
be exceedingly thin, and put on the panes of glass with a large sized 



WIIA T E VER V ONE SIIO ULD KNO W. 1 85 

paint brush in as even a manner as possible. When a number of the 
panes are thus painted, take a dry duster quite new, dab the ends of 
the bristles on the glass in quick succession, till you give it a uniform 
appearance. Repeat this operation till tlic work appears very soft, 
and it will then a[)pear like ground glass. When the glass requires 
fre-ih painting, get the old coat off first by using strong pearl-ash 
water. 

2. Spirits of salts, two ounces; oil of vitriol, two ounces; sulphate 
of copper, one ounce; gum arabic, one ounce; mix all well together,. 
and dab on the glass v/ilh a brush. 

Guano — test for its purity. — The weight affords the easiest test 
for the purity of guano. A bushel of pure Peruvian guano, accord- 
ing to most authorities, should weigh almost exactly seventy pounds. 
If heavier than seventy-three pounds, it is adulterated with clay, 
sand, marl, or some other impurity. 

Guano — home-made. — .Save all your fowl manure from sun and 
rain. To prepare it for use, spread a layer of dry swamp muck (the 
blacker it is the better) on your barn floor, and dump on it the whole 
of your fowl manure; beat it into a fine powder with the back of 
your spade; this done, add hard wood ashes and plaster of Paris, so 
that the compound shall be composed of the following proportions: 
Dried muck, four bushels; fowl manure, two bushels; ashes, one 
bushel; plaster, one and one-half bushels. Mix thoroughly, and 
spare no labor; for, in this matter, the effort expended will be well 
paid for. A little before planting, moisten the heap with water, or, 
better still, with urine; cover well over with old mats, and let it lie 
till wanted for use. Apply it to beans, corn, or potatoes, at the rate 
of a handful to a hill; and mix with the soil before dropping the seed. 
This will be found the best substitute for guano ever invented, and 
may be depended on for bringing great crops of turnips, corn, pota- 
toes, etc. 

Gum — for backing labels. — Mix pure dextrine witii boiling water 
until it assumes the consistency of ordinary mucilage. Aj^ply with a 
full bodied, evenly made camel's hair brush. The paper should not 
be too thin o^ unsized. It will dry quickly and adhere when slightly 
wet. 

Gums (Thej — an excellent paste for. — Finely powdered alum, one- 
eighth ounce; sulphate of quinine, ten grains. Make these ingre- 
dients into a rather thick paste, with which rub the gums occasion.'.lly. 

Gums— swollen or scorbutic. — Take of infusion of roses six 
ounces; borax, one (;unce; honey of roses, one ounce. Mix, and 
use the mixture twice a day as a wash for the gums. 

Gums — tincture for. — Gumboils, frequently so troublesome, and 
also pains in the gums, may be prevented by the occasional use of 
the following tincture. Six ounces of tincture of Peruvian bark, one- 
half ounce of sal-ammoniac. Make a mixture of these in a phial, and 
shake it well before using. The best mode of applying the tinture 



1 86 WJJA T EVERY ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

to the gums is with a piece of soft sponge or the finger. The mouth 
should afterward be rinsed with warm water. 

Guns and Rifles — to clean. — Guns and rifles may be easily cleaned 
from lead by the following: If a muzzle-loader, stop up the nipple or 
communication hole with a little wax, or if a breach-loader insert a 
cork in the breach rather tightly; next pour some quicksilver into the 
barrel, and put another cork in the muzzle, then proceed to roll it up 
and down the barrel, shaking it about for a few minutes. Thp mer- 
cury and the lead will form an amalgam, and leave the barrel as clean 
and free from lead as the first day it came out of the shop. The same 
quicksilver can be used repeatedly by straining it through wash- 
leather; for the lead will be left behind in the leather, and the quick- 
silver will be again fit for use. 

Habits of Neatness in Children. — A little more care iru training 
the children to habits of neatness would reduce the size of the wash- 
ing almost one-half. What need is there of washing a tablecloth for 
every day in the week ? Put a newspaper or an oilcloth at the corner 
for baby's plate. If the little ones are given luncheon between meals, 
put big oilcloth bibs on them, covering the entire front of their 
aprons, and you will not have one-third as many gingham pieces in 
the wash. A little forethought will save a headache, backache, and 
cross words. 

Hair Dressing. — Take two ounces of olive oil. four ounces of good 
bay rum, and one dram of oil of almonds. Mix and shake well. It 
renders the hair dark and smooth. 

Hair Brushes — to clean. — As hot water and soap soon softens the 
hairs, and rubbing completes their destruction, use soda dissolved in 
cold water. Soda, having an affinity for grease, cleans the brush with 
very little friction. After well shaking them, stand them on the 
points of the handles in a shady place. 

Hair (The) — to cleanse. — To one gill of warm water, add twenty 
drops of aqua ammonia, and with a bit of flannel or a sponge, wash 
the head and hair, dividing it into partings, so as to rub out the dan- 
druff thoroughly. Then comb the head with a fine-tooth comb, and 
let it dry in the air. This hair wash has been tried for years, and will 
not only keep the head very clean if used twice a month, but preserve 
the color and thickness of the hair. 

Hair (The) — how to care for. — The hair is the covering of the roof 
of "The home of thought and palace of the soul." Where baldness, 
which sometimes occurs in quite young persons, is hereditary, it is 
doubtful if anything can be done to prevent or remedy it. Avoid 
"restoratives " and other nostrums, and as a rule do not use poma- 
tums or oils upon the head. The thorough use of a moderately stiff 
brush will greatly promote the health of the scalp and prevent the 
falling of the hair. The hair should be occasicmally washed, and if 
there is much dandruff, the yolk of an egg will be most efficient in re- 
moving it. Work an egg with the fingers well into the hair, a little 
at a time, to bring it in contact with the scalp; then wash it out 



- rVHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO ^. 187 

thoroughly with water, and the hair will be left beautifully Cxcan and 
soft. Avoid all shampooing liquids; those used by barbers are strong 
potash solutions. They call it " salts of wormwood" and " salts of 
tartar," and use it without knowing its real nature. It is very effect- 
ive in cleaning but ruinous to the hair. If the falling of the hair is 
not prevented by thorough brushing, some stimulating application 
may be made. Cantharides is most commonly used. Half an ounce 
of the tincture of cantharides added to a quart of bay rum will answer 
better than most '"hair tonics." 

Hair (The) — to crimp. — Ladies who have difficulty "in making their 
hair remain crimped will find the following of use: Let five cents' 
worth of gum arable be dissolved in a very little hot water and left to 
stand over night in enough alcohol to make it thin; then bottle. The 
hair should be wet with the mixture before being crimped. 

Hair (The) — to dye black. — Take sifted lime, sixteen ounces; 
white lead., two ounces; litharge in fine powder, one ounce. Mix 
well together and keep dry. When required for use, mix a little 
powder with water to the consistency of cream, and apply carefully 
with a sponge. 

Hair Dye (Batchelor's). — i. To one ounce of pyro-gallic acid, dis- 
solved in one ounce of alcohol, add one quart of soft water. 

2. To one ounce nitrate of silver, dissolved in one ounce of con- 
centrated ammonia, add four ounces of soft water. Apply each num- 
ber alternately, with separate brushes, to the hair. 

Hair Dye (Christadoro's). — i. To one ounce of pyro-gallic acid, 
dissolved in one ounce alcohol, add one quart soft water. 

2. To one ounce crystalized nitrate of silver, dissolved i.i one 
ounce concentrated aqua-ammonia and one ounce soft water, add 
one-half ounce gum arable and three ounces soft water. Keep cov- 
ered from the light. 

Hair Dye (Phalon's Instantaneous). — i. To one ounce pyro-gallic 
acid, and one-quarter ounce of tannia, dissolved in two ounces of al- 
cohol, add one quart of soft water. 

2. To one ounce crystallized nitrate of silver, dissolved in one 
ounce concentrated aqua-ammonia, add one ounce gum arable, and 
fourteen ounces soft water. Keep in the dark. 

Hair Dye (Harrison's). — i. To one ounce pyro-gallic acid, one 1 
ounce of tannia, dissolved in two ounces alcohol, add one quart soft 
water. 

2. Tc or^e ounce crystallized nitrate of silver, dissolved in one 
ounce of concentrated aqua-ammonia, add five ounces soft water and 
one-half ounce gum arable. 

3. One ounce hydra-su'pbate of potassa, dissolved in one quart of 
f oft water. This last ingredient is intended to produce a deep black 
color if the others should fail. Keep away from the light. 

Hair Dye (Phalon's) — one preparation. — To one ounce crystal- 
lized nitrate of silver, dissolved in two ounces of aqua-ammonia, add 
five ounces soft water. This is not an instantaneous dye; but after 



i88 WFTA T E VER V OXE SRO ULD KNO W. 

exposure to the light and i'w. u dark colcr is produced upon tne sur- 
face to which it is applied. Remcmbe:' to remove all grease, etc., 
from the hair before applying these dyes. 

Hair (The) — ways to keep from falling out. — i. Wash the head 
every week in salt water and rub the skin of the head with a dry- 
coarse towel. Then apply a dressing composed of bay rum and 
sweet oil,, with which a drop of tincture of cantharides has been min- 
gled. This will stimulate the skin, and keep the hair from falling 
out and turning gray. The dressing for the hair may be scented 
with cinnamorroil, or some such warming essence. 

2.. To stop the hair from coming out, take a bottle two-thirds full 
of sweet oil, filling the other third with ammonia. If the scalp be 
tender, use more oil and less ammonia, as the ammonia causes a 
smarting sensation, which makes the scalp more healthy, while the 
oil prevents its injuring the hair or scalp in any way. Use once a 
day by rubbing carefully into the roots of the hair with the hand. 

3. To prevent the hair from falling out, apply once a week a wash 
made of one cpiart of boiling water, one ounce of pulverized borax, 
and half an ounce 01 powdered camphor. Rub on with a sponge or 
a piece of tlanne'. 

4. Thoroughly wetting the hair once or twice a week with a weak 
solution of salt water will prevent it falling out. 

Hair Oil (Barbers' Star). — Castor oil, six and one-half pints; alco- 
hol, one and one-half pints; citronella, and lavender oil, each half an 
ounce. 

Hair (Gray) — to prevent. — When the hair begins to change color, 
the use of the following pomade has a beneficial effect in preventing 
the disease extending, and has the character of even restoring the 
color of the hair in many instances: Lard, four ounces; spermaceti, 
four drams; oxide of bismuth, four drams. Melt the lard and sper- 
maceti together, and when getting cold stir in the bismuth. To this 
can be added any kind of perfume, according to choice. It should be 
used whenever the hair requires dressing. It must not be imagined 
that any good effect speedily results; it is in general a long time tak- 
ing place, the change being very gradual. 

Hair Invigorator. — One quart bay rum, one pint alcohol, one 
ounce castor oil. one ounce tincture cantharides, one pint sweet oil. 
Bottle and label. 

Hair (The) — to preserve. — Take three cuinces of pulverized sage 
and turn a pint of cold, soft water over it; have it in a tin dish with 
a cover; let it steep over the fire ten or fifteen minutes; strain it off 
and add a teaspoonful of pulverized borax, and the same quantity of 
salt. Keep in a tight corked bottle, and apply with a sponge or soft 
cloth, by rubbing gently all over the head; then brush lightly. Use 
it night and morning. For everything but hereditary baldness it acts 
like a charm. 

Hair (The) — to promote the growth of. — For strengthening and 
promoting the growtfi of the hair, use half an ounce of spirits of am- 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 189 

monia, one ounce of olive oil, one dram of eau de cologne, one dram 
of tincture of Spanish flies; mix together, and rub on the head once a 
day. 

Hairs (Superfluous) — to remove. — Some few hairs will frequently 
grow where they arc not wanted, and are often diflicult to get rid of. 
Close shaving and cutting strengthens them and increases their num- 
ber; the only plan is to pull them out individually with a pair of 
iweezers, and afterward to dress the part two or three times a day 
in the following manner: Wash it first with warm soft water, l)ut do 
not use soap; then apply with a piece of soft rag, immediately after 
the washing, a lotion of milk of roses, made according to the follow- 
ing directions, and rub the skin gently till it is dry with a warm soft 
cloth: Beat four ounces of sweet almonds in a mortar to a paste with 
half an ounce of white sugar; then work in, in small quantities, eight 
ounces of rosewater; strain the emulsion through a muslin, put the 
liquid into a bottle, return the rcsidum to the mortar, pound it again, 
and add half an ounce of sugar and eight ounces of rosewater; then 
strain again, and repeat the process a third time. This will give 
thirty-two ounces of fluid, to which add twenty grains of bichloride 
of mercury dissolved in two ounces of alcohol. Shake the whole for 
five minutes, and the lotion will be ready for use. 

Hair — to thicken. — One quart of white wine, one handful of rose- 
mary-flowers, one-half pound of honey, one-quarter pint of oil of 
sweet almonds. Mix the rosemary and honey with the wine, distil 
them together, then add the oil of sweet almonds and shake well. 
When using it, pour a little into a cup, warm it, and rub it into the 
roots of the hair. 

Hair Tonic. — One ounce of chloroform, one ounce of strong water 
of ammonia, one ounce of glycerine, five ounces of alcohol. The 
lotion to be rubbed on the head after thorough friction with the brush. 
It may be applied two or three times a week. If too strong, or 
strong enough to make the head smart, it may be diluted with water. 
This is the best tonic for the hair ever used. 

Hair Restoratives. — i. A tea made by pouring one pint of boiling 
water on two tablespoonfuls of dried rosemary leaves, with a wine- 
glajssful of rum added, is excellent. 

2. Four drams oxide bismuth, four drams spermaceti, four ounces 
pure hogs' lard, The lard and spermaceti should be melted together. 
When nearly cool, stir in the bismuth and perfume. Put in pots and 
label. Prevents the hair from turning gray; restores gray hair. 

Hair Restorative (Phalon's). — To eight ounces of ninety per cent, 
alcohol, colored by a few drops tincture of alkanet root, add one 
ounce of castor oil, and perfume with a compound of bergamot, 
neroli, verbena, and orange. 

Hair Restorative (Mrs. Allen's). — To sixteen ounces of rosewater, 
diluted with an equal part of salt water, add one-half ounce of suK 
phur and one-quarter ounce of sugar of lead. Let the compound 
stand five days before using. 



TOO WIT A T EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

Hair Wash — several kinds. — i. Take one ounce of borax, half an 
ounce of camphor; powder these ingredients very fine and dissolve 
them in a quart of boiling water; when cool the solution will be 
ready for use; dampen the hair frequently. This wash effectually 
cleanses, beautifies and strengthens the hair, preserves the color and 
prevents early baldness. The camphor will form into lumps after 
being dissolved, but the water will be sufficiently impregnated. 

2. Take a small quantity of rosemary, strip the leaves from the 
stalks, and put them into a jar with nearly half a pint of cold water, 
place the jar near the fire, and let the contents simmer gently for an 
hour or two, without setting or burning. When the water is some- 
what reduced, the infusion will be sufficiently strong. Then add half 
a pint of rum, and simmer the whole for a little while longer. When 
cold, strain the liquor from the leaves, and keep it in a bottle to be 
ready for use. Apply it to the roots of the hair with a small sponge 
or piece of flannel. 

3. One dram of tincture of lytta, half an ounce of spirits of wine, 
half an ounce of spirits of rosemary. Put these into a bottle, and add 
half a pint of cold water. 

Hair Wood — to imitate. — For the ground color, take white lead 
and thin with turpentine, and sHghtly staid it with equal quantities of 
Prussian blue and lampblack. For the graining color, grind in ale a 
mixture of Prussian blue and raw sienna; when the ground is dry, 
spread a transparent coat of the graining color on the surface of the 
work, and soften; then, with the cork, mottle by rubbing it to and 
fro across the work, to form the fine long grain or mottle. When 
this is done, soften and top grain in wavy but perpendicular direc- 
tions; varnish and dry. 

Halter Pulling. — A new way to prevent horses pulling at the 
halter, is to put a very small rope under the horse's tail, bringing the 
ends forward, crossing them on the back, and tying them on the 
breast. Put the halter strap through the ring, and tie the rope in 
front of the horse. When the horse pulls, he will, of course, find him- 
self in rather an uncomfortable position, and discontinue the effort to 
free himself. 

Hammock — how to make. — I Avill tell you how to make a com- 
fortable, inexpensive hammock. Bring your old flour barrel from 
the cellar or storeroom, knock it to pieces, clean, and paint the staves. 
I like red. Procure a rope four times the length, each place where it 
is to be suspended, and in size — a little larger than a clothesline. 
Now halve the rope, double each piece in the middle, and commenc- 
ing two yards or so from the end, weave it over and under each 
stave about three inches from the end of each one, which will bring 
the rope crossed between each; do both sides the same, and your 
hammock is complete. I like one end of the rope fastened up higher 
than the other. There, isn't the cfi'ect pretty? The bright red con- 
trasts so strongly with the green leaves. At first, this may not seem 



TVHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 191 

firm, but when there is any weight on it, the rope becomes " taut," 
as the sailors say, consequently there will be no openings. 

Ham — to bake. — First put into cold water and bring it almost to a 
boil; then pour off the water and fill again with cold water. "When 
scalding hot, drain off the second time. Again cover with cold water 
and set over the fire where it v/ill simmer slov/ly till nearly done. 
Then take off the skin, rub in half a teacupful of sugar, cover with a 
layer of fine bread crumbs in which a little more sugar and some black 
pepper have been mixed. Bake half an hour, so that the crumbs may 
be nicely browned. When the ham is prepared for baking, lay a 
grating in the pan to raise the ham so that it may not be soaked with 
the fat that wdll run from it. Put no water into the pan. 

Hams — to cure. — As soon as the hams are cut, tie them up by the 
hock for three days; then make a pickle thus: One ounce of saltpeter, 
half an ounce of salt prunella, one pound of common salt, one pound 
of coarse sugar, one ounce of juniper berries, and one gallon of 
strong beer; boil altogether, and when cold, pour it over the hams. 
Turn them every day for a fortnight. This quantity of pickle will be 
sufficient for two hams. 

Ham — to cook tender. — Ham and lean of bacon, which is usually 
hard and tough, may be cooked so as to be perfectly tender, and 
without waist of fat, by not allowing the water to boil. 

Ham — to cook (Aunt Sally's way). — First cut the slice, not quite 
one-half of an inch thick. Then trim off the outside edges very care- 
fully and neatly. These edges she slightly scores so that they appear 
when cooked like a sort 0/ fringe around each piece. When thus 
prepared place in the frying pan some luke-warm water in which lay 
the slices, allowing them to remain on the fire about three minutes. 
Then, throwing this water off, put in its place some hot water — just 
enough to cover the slices — allow it to come to a boil, then empty it 
into a clean bowl, leaving the slices in a pan, which fry for about four 
or five minutes. When done, place them upon a hot dish, and pour 
over them the heated water as gravy. 

Hams — to keep. — A very good way of keeping hams is to wrap 
them in strong brown paper so that the ashes cannot come in contact 
with them. Then pack them in clean, hard wood ashes, in dry boxes 
or barrels. This will keep well cured hams quite sweet, as the ashes 
serve as a protection against insects. The boxes should be set in a 
cool, dry place. 

Hams (Premium) — method of keeping, etc. — To four gallons of 
water, add eight pounds of coarse salt, one quarter ounce potash, 
two ounces saltpeter, two pounds brown sugar. Boil together, skim 
when cold, put on the above quantity to one hundred pounds meat; 
hams to remain in eight weeks; beef, three weeks. Let the hams dry 
several days before smoking. Meat of all kinds, salmon and other 
fish, lobsters, etc., may be preserved for years by a light application 
of pyroligneous acid applied with a brush, sealing up in cans as usual. 



192 WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD A'NOJV. 

It imparts splendid flavor to the meat, is very cheap, and an effectual 
preventative against loss. 

Hams — to preserve from flies. — The best way to preserve hams 
from llics is, as soon as I hey arc smoked, to wrap them in two old 
newspapers, first with one end and again with another, and tie the 
ends of the paper or paste them dow n. Let the string to hang them 
up by come through the paper, being very careful that the hole shall 
only be large enough to let the string through. No insect can get 
through paper. Woolens and furs can be kept perfectly in the sauie 
way. being careful that the egg of the moth is not previously de- 
jiosiled. 

Hands (The) — to presei've soft. — In order to preserve the hands 
soft and white, they should always be washed in warm water, with 
fine soap, and carefully dried with a moderately coarse towel, being 
well rubbed every time to insure a brisk circulation, than which noth- 
ii\g can be iiiore effectual in procuring a transparent and soft surface. 
If engaged in any accidental ]nirsuit which niay hurt the color of the 
hands, or if they have been exposod to the sun, a little lemon-juice 
will restore their whiteness for the time; and lemon-soap is proper to 
wash them with. Almond paste is of essential service ii\ preserving 
the delicacy of the hands. The following is a serviceable pomade for 
rubbing the hatuls on retiring to rest: Take two ounces of sweet al- 
monds; beat with three drams of white wax. and three drams of sper- 
maceti; put up carefully in rose-water. Gloves should be always 
worn on exposure to the atmosphere, and are graceful at all tmies for 
a lady in the house, except at meals. Lemon-juice and glycerine will 
cleanse and soften the hands. 

Hands (The) — to soften. — To whiten and soften the hands take 
four parts of glycerine, five parts yolk of eggs; mix thoroughly and 
rub ot\ after washing the hands. Good also for abrasions of the skin. 

Hands (Chapped^ — remedy for. — i. One-half ounce of glycerine 
with same amount of alcohol. Mix, and aild-four ounces of rose- 
water. Kottle, and shake well. An excellent remedy for rough or 
chapped hands. 

2. Keep some oat-meal on the wash-stand, and as often as the 
hands are washed, rub a little oat-meal over them; then rinse off, 
and, when dry, put on a little bit of pomade, made as follows: Take 
three cents' worth of white wax, three cents" worth of spermaceti, 
three cents' worth of powdered camphc)r, and olive oil enough to 
make it the thickness of soap; put it in a gallipot, and let it stand in 
an ovct\ tc) melt; mix it up. and when cold it will be found very good 
for the hands. Gloves worn either in the tlay or night, will help to 
keep the hands white. 

3. The raw wituis of early spring often proiluce in the hands of 
those who are much exposed to them that roughness and cracking of 
the skm known as chapping. If nothing is done to prevent, and the 
person is obliged to have his hands frequently wet and dried, the 
cracks often get deep and painful. As both a precaution and cure 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHOULD KNO W. 193 

for chapped hands, we have used the following with benefit: Wash 
the hands, and face .also if it is inclined to chap, with borax water, 
and afterward rub with an ointment made l)y meltinp^ mutton tallow, 
or suet, and then j^radually adding an equal quantity of glycerine, 
stirring the two together until cool. For the hands this inixlure can 
be best applied at night, using it freely and warming it by the fire, 
after which an old pair of gloves can be put on to keep the bed-clothes 
from being soiled, and also make the skin of the hands softer. 

Hands (Chapped) — to cleanse. — Keep a dish of Indian meal on the 
toilet stand near the soap, and rub the meal freely on the hands after 
soaping them for washing. It will surprise you, if you have not tried 
it, to find how it will cleanse and soften the skin, and prevent chap- 
ping. 

Hands (The) — to soften. — Before retiring, take a large pair of old 
gloves and spread mutton tallow inside, also all over the hands. 
Wear the gloves all night, and wash the hands with olive oil and 
white castile soap the nexc morning. 

Hands — to remove stains from. — If you have been picking or 
handling any acid fruit, and have stained your hands, wash them in 
clear water, and wipe them lightly, and while they are yet moiststrike 
a match and shut your hands around it so as to catch the smoke, and 
the stain will disapi>car. 

Hanging Baskets. — What looks more lovely than a plant sus- 
pended from a small rustic basket in the center of the upper part of 
the window ? It interferes with nothing, and nothing interferes with 
it. There's an element of beauty in that simple fact. Plants which 
have slender branches, which naturally hang down, are at home in 
this situation. The mother-of-thousands; the Wan<lering Jew, with 
its pretty marked leaves; the lobelias, and some of the trailing cam- 
panulas or bell flowers; the well named rat-tailed cactus; and the so- 
called ice-plants, are more at home when suspended than when grown 
in any other position. Some families who have hard work to buy 
their daily bread, may think they cannot afford to purchase a hang- 
ing-pot and its accompaniments; well, then, fill an old fruit-can with 
earth, bore two holes opposite near the top, then fasten a cord to it, 
set your slips, and suspend from a nail driven in the center of the 
upper casing of the window. After the lapse of a few months it 
would puzzle any one to tell whether your hanging-pot cost five dol- 
lars or five cents, so thickly will it be covered with vines. By all 
means, place hanging plants in your windows. They beautify home. 

Hanging Baskets — to water. — Plants in hanging baskets are with 
difficulty kept moist enough when watered in the ordinary way. It 
has been recommended to immerse the basket in a tub of water for a 
few minutes. then_take it out and allow it to drii) before returning it to 
its usual place. 

Hanging Basket (Imitation Coral)— to make. — Take old hoops 
with the covering on; bend and tie in any shape desired; tie with 
wrapjiing twine, with ends of the twine left one-fourth of an inch 



194 JVIIA 7' E VER Y ONE SHOULD KNO W. 

long; cover the basket when formed with knots or ties about one inch 
apart all over the basket. Then take one-half pound of beeswax, 
melt it in a shallow pan, stir in enough Japanese vermilion to get the 
color you wish, then roll the basket in the melted Avax until it is cov- 
ered completely. We have made one in this way, that has hung ex- 
posed to the weather for two years, and is still good as new. 

Harness Blacking. — Three ounces turpentine, two ounces white 
wax, to be dissolved together over a slow fire; then add one ounce of 
ivory-black and one dram of indigo, to be well pulverized and mixed 
together. When the wax and the turpentine are dissolved, add the 
ivory-black and the indigo, and stir till cold. Apply very thin; brush 
afterward, and it will give a beautiful polish. This blacking keeps 
the leather soft, and, properly applied, gives a good polish. It is 
excellent for buggy tops, harness, etc. Old harness, if hard, may 
be washed in warm water, and when nearly dry, grease it with neats- 
foot oil. 

Harness — to care for. — A harness that has been on a horse's back 
several hours in hot or rainy weather becomes wet; if not properly 
cleaned the damage to the leather is irreparable. If, after being 
taken from the horse, it is hung up in a careless manner, traces iund 
reins twisted into knots, and the saddle and bridle hung askew, the 
leather when dried retains the same shape given it when wet, and 
when forced into its original form damage is done the stitching and 
leather. The first point to be observed is to keep the leather soft 
and pliable. This can be done by keeping it well charged with oil 
and grease; water is a destroyer, but mud and the saline moisture 
from the animals are even more destructive. Mud in drying absorbs 
the grease and opens the pores of the leather, making it a prey to 
water, while the salty character of the perspiration from the animal 
injures the leather, stitchings and mountings. It therefore follows 
that, to preserve the harness, the straps should be washed and oiled 
whenever they have been moistened by sweat or soiled by mud. If 
the harness is thoroughly cleaned twice a year, and, when unduly ex- 
posed, treated as we have recommended, the leather will retain its 
softness and strength for many years. 

Harness Leather — grain black for. — First stain in tallow; then 
take spirits of turpentine, one pint; cream of tartar, one ounce; soda, 
one ounce; gum shellac, one-half ounce; thick paste, reduced thin, 
two quarts. Mix well. This will finish twelve sides. 

Harness Wounds on Horses. — The best cure for harness wounds 
on horses is burned leather. Rub the ashes on the sore, and a cure 
is soon effected. 

Harvest Drink, — Mingle together five gallons of pure water, one- 
half gallon molasses, one quart of vinegar, and two ounces of pow- 
dered gni^er. Tills drink is very \\. igorating. 

Hash — to make. — Hash made of bits of roast beef or of lamb may 
be given a very good flavor by using raw potatoes instead of cold 
boiled. Chop the potatoes very fine, in the proportion of two-thirds 



WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW 195 

of these to one-third of meat. This will require a longer time to 
cook, of course, but it is a dish much liked by many people. 

Hats — waterproof stiffening- for.— Mix eighteen pounds shellac 
with one and one-half pounds of salt of tartar (carbonate of potash), 
and five and one-half gallons of water. These materials are to be 
put in a kettle, and made to boil gradually till the lac is dissolved, 
when the liquid will become as clear as water, without any scum upon 
the top, and if left to cool, will have a thin crust upon the surface, of 
whitish cast, mixed with the light impurities of the gum. When this 
skin is taken off, the hat body is to be dipped into the mixture in 
cold state, so as to absorb as much as possible of it; or it may be ap- 
plied with a brush or sponge. The hat body, being thus stiffened, 
may stand till it becomes dry, or nearly so; and after it has been 
brushed, it must be immersed in very dilute sulphuric or acetic acid, 
in order to neutralize the potash, and cause the shellac to set. If the 
hats are not to be napped immediately, they may be thrown into a 
cistern of pure water, and taken out as wanted. 

Hay Fever — relief for. — Patients suffering from this most distress- 
ing complaint will find almost immediate relief by bathing the nose 
and closed eyes with a lotion of spirits of camphor and warm water. 
The strength of the lotion will be soon learned by experience. The 
eyes must be carefully closed. 

Hay for Hogs. — Very few are aware of the fact that hay is very 
beneficial to hogs; but it is true, nevertheless. Hogs need rough 
food as well as horses, cattle, or the human race. To prepare it you 
should have a cutting-box (or hay cutter), and the greener the hay the 
better. Cut the hay short and mix with bran, shorts, or middlings, 
and feed as other food. Hogs soon learn to like it, and if soaked in 
swill or other slop food, it is highly relished by them. In winter use 
for hogs the same hay you feed to your horses, and you will find that, 
while it saves bran, shorts, or other food, it puts on fiesh as rapidly 
as anything that can be given them. 

Head (The) — to free from dandruff. — Take a quart bottle, fill it 
with borax to the depth of one inch, then fill with water, and as often 
as you take out, put more water in, occasionally adding borax; then 
once in three or four weeks take a tablespoonful of this mixture to a 
pint of clear water, bathe the scalp and dry with a towel. 

Headache — new remedy for. — A new remedy for headache has 
been found by Dr. Haley, an Australian physician, who says that for 
some years past he has found minimum doses of iodide of potassium 
of great service in frontal headache; that is, a heavy, dull headache, 
situated over the brow, and accompanied by languor, chilliness, and 
a feeling of general discomfort, with distaste for food, which some- 
times approaches to nausea, can be completely removed by a two- 
grain dose dissolved in half a wirxCglassful of water, and this quietly 
sipped, the whole quantity being taken in about ten minutes. In 
many cases, he adds, the effect of these small doses has been simply 
wonderful, as, for instance, a person, who a quarter of an hour ago 



196 WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KXOIV. 

was feeling most miserable, and refused all food, wishing only for 
quietness, would now take a good meal and resume his wonted cheer- 
fulness. 

Headache and Cold Feet. — There are many who suffer from head- 
aches and cold feet. If they would plunge their feet in cold water 
every morning, and use the flesh-brush every night, it would relieve 
them bt)ih. 

Headache — several cures for.— i. Coarse brown paper soaked in 
vinegar and placed on the forehead is good for a sick headache. If 
the eyelids are gently bathed in cool water the pain in the head is 
generally allayed. 

2. In Potosi the most violent headaches, so very common there, 
are cured by putting the feet in hot water. 

3. A mixture of ice and salt, in proportion of one to one-half, ap- 
plied to the head, frequently gives instant relief from acute headache. 
It should be tied up in a small linen cloth, like a pad, and held as 
near as possible to the seat of the pain. 

4. We have known some extreme cases of headache cured in half 
an hour by taking a teaspoonful of finely powdered charcoal in half a 
tumbler of water. It is an innocent yet powerful alkali. 

5. For sick-headache, take a tumbler two-thirds full of finely 
crushed ice, the juice of one lemon, and one teacupfulof white sugar. 
The mixture, eaten by degrees, or all at once, will allay the feverish 
thirst, atid quiet the disturbed, qualmish stomach, as it is not sweet 
enough to be nauseous. 

6. Sick headache can often be greatly relieved, and sometimes en- 
tirely cured, by the application of a mustard plaster at the base of 
the neck. The plaster should not be kept on more than a quarter of 
an hour. 

Headache (Billious) — cure for. — Dissolve and drink twoteaspoon- 
fuls of finely-powdered charcoal in half a tumbler of water; it will 
relieve in fifteen minutes. Take a seidlitz powder an hour after- 
ward. 

Headache (Nervous) — relief for. — Many persons find speedy re- 
lief for nervous heatlachc by washing the hair thoroughly in weak 
soda water. I have known severe cases almost wholly cured in ten 
minutes by this simple remedy. A friend finds it the greatest relief 
in cases of " rare cold," the cold symptoms entirely leaving the eyes 
and nose after one thorough washing of the hair. The head should 
be thoroughly dried afterward, and avoid draughts of air for a little 
while. 

Head Cheese. — Take the head, ears and tongue, and any other 
small pieces of young, fresh pork; have the skin taken off and boil in 
water, with a little salt added, until the bones are loosened from the 
meat; chop fine, season with salt, black pepper, cloves, alspice, sage 
and sweet marjoram; mix all well together; put in around, deep pan, 
putting on a cover that will fit the pan and heavy weights on it. Let 
stand two or three days. 



WIT A T E VER V ONE SHO ULD K'NO TV. 197 

Head (Clean) — a preventative of contagious diseases. — A distin- 
guished physician, who liad spent mucli time- at (|iiatantine, said that 
a person wiiose hc;ad was thorouj^lily washed every day rarely took 
contagious diseases, but where the hair was allowed to l)ecome dirty 
and matted it was hardly possible to escape infection. 

Head Wash. — Sage tea is one of the very best washings and dress- 
ings for hair. The hair sliould be carefully bruslicd, and braided in 
two firm braids, then the roots rubbed with a sponge dipped in luke- 
warm s^ge tea; after which the braids can be washed and dried with 
a towel. This preserves the color of the hair and keeps the scalp 
clean. 

Health — secrets for. — First, keep warm. Second, eat regularly 
and slowly. Third, maintain regular bodily habits. Fourth, take 
early and very light suppers, or, better still, none at all. Fifth, keep 
a clear skin. Sixth, get plenty of sleep at night. Seventh, keep 
cheerful and respectable company. Eighth, kecf) out of debt. Ninth, 
don't set your mind on things you don't need. Tenth, mind your 
own business. Eleventh, don't set up to be a sharp of any kind. 
Twelfth, subdue curiosity. 

Health Hints. — It is not a gocjd habit to keep a lamp burning in 
the bedroom. 

A good laugh is wc^rth a hundred groans in any state of the mar- 
kets. 

File the top of an ingrowing toe nail very thin and place cotton 
under the ingrown part. 

If ice is to be applied to the head of a patient, the l)est way is to 
have it broken in small ])ieces, and tied up in a bladder. 

Never go to bed with cold feet, but first soak them in hot water, 
then dash on cold water, followed by thorough frictif)n. 

Common baking soda is the best of all remedies in cases of scalds 
and burns. 

For earache fold and dip a small towel in hot water, wring and 
lay on the ear; then cover with two or three folds of flannel; repeat 
until relieved. 

If you will cut the hind legs of your chair a little shorter than the 
front ones the fatigue of sitting will be lessened, and your spine will 
be in a better position. 

If wakeful at nights get up, walk about the room, go to the window 
and take a dozen deep breaths, rub your skin all over with a coarse 
towel or with the hands; then crawl into bed and go to sleep. 

Have a thermometer in the living-room and do not let the mercury 
go above seventy degrees. I higher than that is too high for health. 
Any room that is too warm and dry for window plants is unfit to 
live in. 

In biting off a needleful of thread, it is often noticed that the silk 
tastes sweet. This should warn the sewer to use her scissf)rs, and not 
her teeth, as the sweet taste comes from the sugar of lead used in dyo-« 
ing and weighing the silk. 



iqS what every o-ne should know. 

Heavy suppers of rich food, with coffee, ai:e damaging to heahh, 
and sooner or later will undermine the strongest constitution. Be- 
cause one can stand it one or five years is no sign they will not floor 
him at last. Eat a light supper. 

Warm flannels, perfect protection for feet and legs, abundant cloth- 
ing, a saddle horse six or eight hours a day, in the open air in all 
weathers, wheat, oats, and beef in generous quantities, much friction 
of the skin and plenty of sleep, cure a person threatened with con- 
sumption. When a doctor has given his advice to such a patient he 
has done all he can for him. 

Buckskin lining in shoes is nice for ladies and girls who suffer with 
cold feet. Thin soles of cork ought also to be placed between the 
leather soles, to keep dampness out. If not too lazy, to go out on 
the porch and hop around for fifteen minutes; this for those who 
suffer from chronic cold feet. If you have headache it comes most 
likely from cold feet, defective vision that needs rectifying glasses, or 
disordered stomach from eating too much rich food. 

To those accustomed to "bolt" their food, nothing tastes good 
which is not highly flavored or spiced. Everything must be peppered 
or sugared unless already highly seasoned, in order to make some im- 
pression upon the nerves of taste, located in the mouth, as the food 
hurries through. While to persons accustomed to chew their food 
deliberately, the plainest forms of well-cooked, wholesome food 
afford great pleasure to the pnlate. Children should be encouraged 
to cat without drinking, in order that they may be led to moisten 
their food with saliva, thus preparing it for good digestion. 

If you need a light through the night, cut a circular piece of thin 
w^rapping paper, twist the center of it into a small point for a wick, 
lay it in a saucer and pour melted lard around it. This should be 
done in the daytime that the lard may harden before night. 

Put some ice in a towel, and crush it till it is as fine as snow, and 
of an even fineness. Then squeeze on it the juice of an orange, or 
lemon, whichever is desired by physician, or patient, and sprinkle 
over it a little sugar. It is a very pleasant food for persons with 
scarlet fever, or sore throat, and a lady of our acquaintance claims to 
have cured her children of diphtheria by its aid. 

Profuse spitting is injurious in several ways. The saliva is poured 
into the mouth to do a specific work, and then should pass into the 
stomach to be absorbed. If it is constantly ejected from the mouth, 
the system is drained of what it was not intended to lose, and the 
mouth then becomes an organ of excretion, thus taking away from 
the kidneys a part of the work they are designed to do. 

Health in Youth. — Late hours, irregular habits, and want of atten- 
tion to diet, are common errors with- most young men, and these 
gradually, but at first imperceptibly, undermine the health, and lay 
the foundation for various forms of disease in after life. It is a very 
difficult thing to make young persons comprehend this. They fre- 
quently sit up as late as twelve, one, or two o'clock, without ex- 



h^IIA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 199 

periencing any ill effects; they go without a meal to-day, and to-mor- 
row eat to repletion, with only temporary inconvenience. One night 
they will sleep three or four hours, and the next nine or ten; or one 
night, in their eagerness to get away into some agreeable company, 
they will take no food at all; and the next, perhaps, will eat a hearty 
supper and go to bed upon it. These, with various other irregulari- 
ties, are common to the majority of young men, and are, as just 
stated, the cause of much bad health in mature life. Indeed, nearly 
all the shattered constitutions with v/hich too many are cursed, are 
the result of a disregard to the plainest precepts of health in early 
life. 

Health — rules for the preservation of, — Pure atmospheric air is 
composed of nitrogen, oxygen, and a very small proportion of car- 
bonic acid gas. Air once breathed has lost the chief part of its ox- 
ygen, and acquired a proportionate increase of carbonic acid gas; 
therefore, health requires that we breathe the same air once only. 

The solid parts of our bodies are continually wasting, and requires 
to be repaired by fresh substances; therefore, food, which is to re- 
pair the loss, should be taken with due regard to the exercise and 
waste of the body. 

The fluid part of our bodies waste constantly; there is but one fluid 
in animals, which is water; therefore, water only is necessary, and 
no artifice can produce abetter drink. The fluid of our bodies is to 
the solid in proportion as nine to one. A like proportion should 
prevail in the total amount of food taken. 

Light exercises an important influence upon the growth and vigor 
of animals and plants. Our dwellings should freely admit the solar 
rays. 

Decomposing animal and vegetable substances yield various nox- 
ious gases which enter the lungs and corrupt the blood. All impur- 
ities should be kept away from our abodes, and every precaution be 
observed to secure a pure atmosphere. 

Warmth is essential to all the bodily functions; therefore, an equal 
bodily temperature should be maintained by exercise, by clothing, or 
by fire. Exercise warms, invigorates, and purifies the body; clothing 
preserves the warmth' the body generates; fire imparts warmth ex- 
ternally. To obtain and preserve warmth, exercise and clothing are 
preferable to fire. Fire consumes the oxygen of the air, and pro- 
duces noxious gases; therefore, the air is less pure in the presence of 
candles, gas, or coal fire, than otherwise, and the deterioration should 
be repaired by increased ventilation. 

The skin is a highly-organized membrane, full of minute pores, cells, 
blood-vessels, and nerves; it imbibes moisture or throws it off, ac- 
cording to the state of the atmosphere and the temperature of the 
body. It also " breathes," as do the lungs, though less actively. All 
the internal organs sympathize with the skin; therefore, it should be 
repeatedly cleansed. 

Late hours and anxious pursuits exhaust the nervous system, and 



2(K) WHAT EVERY i^N I'. SUOUin A'A'D JF. 

l)i()(lii<<* disease and i)rcmaliir«" (k-aili; ilun-rorc, the liours of l.djor 
.md study slioidd l)e short. 

Mfiilal and bodily fxcrciscs aic ((lually essential to the j;(ii<-i;d 
lie. dill and iiai)|)incss; ihcicloir, lalxn and ^;lndy should siut ccd i acii 
other. 

Man will live most heallhy upon sinijile solids and fluids, of which 
a sulhi ieni but lenipeiale (|uatitily should be taken; therefore, stronj^f 
driid<s, tobaeto, snulf, opium, and all nure iiuhdj^cnces should 1)C 
avoided. 

Sudden alternations of heal and told are (lan);c'rous, especially lo 
the youii}.' and theai^ed; therefore, clothing;, in <|uantity and ([ualily, 
should be adapted lo tfie alterations of nij;ht and day, and of the 
season. Also, drinUinj;" cold wali-r when tlic body is liot, .ind hoi tea 
and SOU]) when <()ld, are i>roductive ol many evils. 

Mode ration in t-atin^ and diiidcin^, short hours of labor and study, 
re^ulaiity in exercise, recreation, and rest, cli-anliness, e(iuainmity of 
temper and e(|nality of tem])«'ralure, these are tlie ^;reat essintials to 
that which surjiasses all wealth— health of mind and body. 

Heaves in Horses several remedies for.- i. A (oirespomU i\t 
iccommt-nds suidlower seed as a cuie for tlu^ heaves in horses, lie 
had one bushel of the seed j;round with two bushels of oats, atul fi^avc 
a horse two cpiarts of the niixe<l meal, wet in warm water, three times 
a day. lie look {\\v linu; when ihe horse was not used at hard work. 
I tj t wo weeks not a sIkii ol^ ihe heaves could be obsiTved, and the 
hoisc; looke«l as sU'ck and brij^ht as if Ins hair liad been oiled, lie 
had cured two horses of his own of this distressinj^ coniplaiin, and 
iecommende<l it to others, wdio had experienced alike result. In 
< .ises of hoise distemper and <ou};hs, it is an excellent reinctly. 

2. Very |)a»l cases of heaves hav(^ l)ecn cured bysiin])ly feedinj^Mhe 
animal upon cut and moistened feed, of very fjood (luality and in 
small (|uantities, three times a (hiy. i'or instance, four pounds of 
timothy hay .and three cpiarts of feed made of etpial (piaiUitiesof oats, 
<-orn, and wheat bran f;round to^tlher. With this was nuxed .-i small 
<inantity of salt, and twice ;i week oiu; dran\ of sul[)hate of iron and 
half an oimce of ground gefitian root were f^iven in the feed. A lib- 
eial bian mash eveiy eveiui\)ij will also be very useful. A horse that 
cannot be cincd by this ticatment is of no value, and may be consid- 
ered past cine. 

3. Asaf«»iiila, ])ul\'eri/.ed, one onnc*-; eamphoi- j^uin, pulv<-iized, 
one-half ounce; nnx and divide: into loui powders; feed one every 
otiu-r iu};hl for a week. 

.|. Halsan\ of lir .and balsam of coi)aiba, four ounces each, and nnx 
with calciiK'd nia>;n<'sia suiricieiUly thi( k to make it into balls; ami 
j;iv<' a nu(ldlin^;-si/.ed ball inj^hl ai\d morinnj; for a week or ten days. 

Hemorrhage- to relieve. To stop lu !norrhaf;i' of tlu- lun^s, con) 
the lhi)ihs, and .arms above the elliow, with small, slronj.j cords 
ti)',htly diawn .md tit'd. It will stop the Ihnv of blood almost iiv. 



l\JL\r l:\l:h'V OA'/'. S//l>i:/./) hXOir. 2()r 

Rtantly, us it has done for the writer many limes. It was recom- 
mended by a ])hysi(ian of t'xi)erience. 

Household Hints. Do not deposit \vood aslu-s in a wooden Vessel 
or upon M wooden floor. 

Never use a lij.;lit in cxamirnng a gas-meter. 

Never take a light into a closet, 

Nev<'r read in bed by c.an<ll<! or lani]) light. 

Never put kindling wood on top of the stove lo dry. 

Never btavo clothes near a grate or lire-{)lace to dry. 

He careful in making lire with shavings, and never use any kind oi 
oil lo kindle a (ire. 

Keep all lights as far from curtains as pc;ssible. 

Always fill and trim your lamps l>y daylight, .and never ne.ir ;i 
fire. 

(Jood nice pie-crust can be made by always ol^serving the follow- 
ing nde. One-quarter of a cup of shortening to every cup of Ihair 
used; to be mixed as dry as possible with cold water, jukI mixed only 
with ;i kin'fe. 

Take sweet bulter <;nly for b.iking ]>iirposes, and never f.iil to thor- 
oughly beat together your jjutler and sugar, if you would b<- sure of 
jfood r<;sults in ( ake baking. 

Have melal or eartlK-n vessels for matches, and ke<!p Iheni out <>f 
reach of children. Wax matches ar<; not safe, 

(iround mustard mixed with a little water is an excellent agent for 
cleansing the hands after liandling odorous substances. 

Cut hot bread or cake with a hot knife, and it will n(»t Ix- < l.immy. 

Salt extracts the juices of meat in cooking. .Steaks oujdit lliere- 
fore not to be salted until they have been l)roiled. 

In boiling dumplings of any kin<l, put them in the water one ut a 
time. If they are jjut in to^eth<-r they will mix with <-ach other. 

Do not cut lamp-wicks, but trim them by wi|>ing off with a scrap 
of jjaper. 

Never boil vegetal)]es with soup Stock, for il you do it will certainly 
become sour in a short time. 

Hoil your cream for coffee, and see if th<! (offe*- will not taste bet- 
ter, as well as keep hot longer. 

Pin-cushion covers made of cheese cloth end»r<»id(icd and iiimnicil 
with lace, wear well and keep their looks. 

.Some one says that leaves of parsley, eaten with a lilih; vinegar, 
will destroy the odor of breath taint(;d |jy onions. 

Hot li(|uid lye is recommended for removing ob.structions in waste 
pipes. Or let the j)olash dissolve over night in the pipes. 

To wii>e dust from ])aper(Ml walls take a clean, soft jjiece of flaiim;!. 
Of course it must not be daujp, but the dry flannel will remove the 
dust. 

Varnish the soles of your shoes, and it will render them iinjjerviouH 
lo (lampness, and will also make th<:m lust longer. This Ik a gtjod 
plan. 



ao2 WHAT FVKKY C.W' SHOUI P KXOW. 

CU'im ilu" iui( ;i in si«»v<' doors wiili viiu>',ar. 'lake clinkcis f)Ut of 
Hl(»V(*s |)y putting a IVw oyster shells into ihe K'«>lt'. when ihcy will 
bet:t)nie looseneti, niul may be removed wilhoul injiniii}', the lining;. 

Save the droppings from spennaceli laiulUs, tie Hum in a (loth, 
?<\u\ keep to .smooth roii^fi tiat-iroi\s. 

Ne\<i starch napkins. 

An old hiack hunting or eashmere duss may be made to serve n 
lurlher peiiod of usefnUiess l>y bein^ made into a |)ettieoat. 

Hetween two evils < hoose neither. 

Writing a will does not shoili-n life, and yet many men feai it 
will. 

Savi' old Sll^>l><•n^.lel lin^s, and sew them on (he (orneis ol kilt hen 
holdeis to hanf.', them up by. It will be easy then lo liip iluin on to 
a nail, and they will not be so likely to },;et lost. 

Tovvdcred boiax willi a little su^ar, blown into the cracks and 
crevices with a small belU)Ws, will diive away house-ants. 

Have a hij.;h stool in the kitchen t«) sit »>n wfien tired, tt) conlinne 
your work if necessary. Perilled «)n its lop you can wash dishes or 
iron with «Mse. A low siool placed on u wooden eliair forms a sub- 
slilnte, but a pom one. A soft sheep-skin m.it is icstful to stanil 
upon. 

1 liere is nothing' better for cleaning brass or copper tlian rt)al 
.ishes. 'I'hey ait- also gootl to si'our knives and folks w'ith. Kortin, 
whiting or line sand is best. 

To » leanse jars or jugs or an\ t-.ulhen \ essc-| sl.dvcd lime is goixl, 
t>r warmed lye. 

To keep a stt>Ve sn\oi>lli, |.dv<- .i co.use .md picltv lngt- piece of 
(l.unul, loll i( li.iid, and dip i( in line sand. I'locti-d lo rid) your 
slove wluiuvi-r yon aie thtongh looking. Almost any stove will 
look bettt r for being done the sanu* way occasionally, lioiletl starch 
is also very gixnl to keep a stove looking well ; put it «»n where it will 
n.'i bmnofi' — aroiMJd the bai k and sides wheie ii doesn't get very 
hoi. 

Hens— how to make lay.- \Vhilt> on .i visit in the tall to a friend 
we were sui prised to see the number of eggs \\c daily obtained. lie 
h.id but si\tt-en hens, ami the protluct per diem averaged thirteen 
eggs. lie was in the habit of giving, on every altern.ile day, a lea- 
spoonful and a tpiartei of cayenne pepper, mixeil with soft fooil, ami 
took caie that each hen obtainetl her share. The ex|)eiimenl i)f 
omitting the pepper was tried, when it was foiuul that tlu« munber of 
eggs was reduce<l each trial liom li\e to six. daily. We believe that 
thi> nnxh'iatc' use »)f this stin\ul.uil not only increases the number of 
eggs, but eftectu.ilU u.iuls ol iliseases to width chickens aie sub- 
jected. 

Hen Lice — to drive away. — The only reliable means of ridding 
the hen-rtu>st ami pigeon-loft of vermin is a preparaticm of sidphur 
and carbon, lechniially known as sulphuret caibon. In I'rance it 
has been thoroUi;hly tested, ami it wi>iks like a charm. It kills the 



WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW, 203 

insects which prey upon pigeons and fowls, without injuring the 
birds. A bottle containing the solution will last several days, and 
the cost of it is small. Put two ounces of the sulphuret of carbon in 
a bottle open at the mouth and hang it by a string in a hen-house. 
At the end of eight days the bottle should l)e refilled. The remedy 
is said to be infallible. If as good as claimed to be, it should be 
known to every farmer's wife and ])oultry raiser in the country. 

Hens — to make lay the whole year. — Give each hen half an ounce 
of fresh meat every day, and mix a small amo.unt of red pepper v^^ilh 
their food during the winter. Give them plenty of grain, water, 
gravel and lime, and allow no cocks to run with ihem. 

Hens — rules for setting. — Be sure that your hen wants to sit and 
is contented with her location. 

Select your eggs from hens that are known, and do not trust to 
those from a neighbor. 

Do not use eggs that are from yards containing more than ten hens 
to one cock. 

After the hen is on the nest do not disturb her, and i)lace her nest 
where the other hens cannot mo est her. 

Let the nest be in a warm location in winter, and in a cool place in 
summer. 

See that everything is clean around her nest, and keep food and 
water within easy access. 

Provide a dust bath, and be on the watch for the appearance of 
lice. Should they ap])car, use the Persian insect powder. 

The eggs used should be as fresh as possible — the fresher the 
better. 

After the egg is " pipped " do not open the shell any to assist the 
chick, as the Huids will evaporate before the chick is ready to come 
out. 

Lice make the hen restless, and as this causes a constant change of 
temperature in the nest, poor hatches will be the result. 

Let the food for the hen be of a variety, and plentiful. 

Do not feed the young chicks until they arc twenty-four hours old. 

These rules are not hard to observe, and arc necessary if good 
hatches are to be expected. 

Hiccoughs — to cure. — Take a small piece of lump sugar into the 
mouth, and let it dissolve very slowly, or drink any liciuid very slow- 
ly, -AwA the hiccoughs will cease. 

Hide Bound Horse — to recruit.' — To recruit a hide bound horse, 
give nitrate potassa (or saltpeter), four ounces; crude antimony, one 
ounce; sulphur, three ounces. Nitrate of potassa and antimony 
should be finely pulverized, then add the sulphur, and mix the wlxjle 
well together. Dose, a tal^lcspoonful of the mixture in a bran mash 
daily. 

Hints to Callers on the Sick. — Only call at the door, unless you 
are sure your friend is able to see yftu without harm. 

Enter and leave the house, and move about the rocnri cjuietly. 



2,).i //■//./ '/• /■:r/:A'y o.vk should know. 

Carry a i lu«'i liil lace, ;\iul speak chcritul words. 

Ill tirdcr U) chi'i'r you need lell no lies. 

ir your friend is very sick do iM)t fall int(» i;ay and t areless talk in 
the attempt to be eheerfni. 

Do not ask (jiiestions, and thus ohlii^e yoni friend to talk. 

Talk about soiuc-thini; outside-, ;ind not about ihc disease and eir- 
cumstaiues of tlu- j)atient. 

Tell the i\e\vs, but not the list of the siek antl (lying. 

If possible carry soniethinj; with you to pleasi' the eye and iilieve 
the monotony (^f the sick-room, a Hower, or even a picture, w liiih 
yi)u can loan for a few tlays. 

If desirable, some little delicacy to tempt the appetite will be well 
bestowed; but nothinj; coidd be more a complete illustration of mis- 
taki'u kinilness than the common custom of temptinjj^ sick persons to 
eat su( h unwholesome thinj.;s as rich cakes, sweetmeats, etc. 

Hoarseness remedies for. — i. Horseradish will afford iiistan- 
tancous relief in most obstinate cases of lioarsencss. The ro()t, of 
course, possesses the most virtue, though tlu- U>aves are good till they 
<lry, when they lose their stii-nglh. The root is best when it is green. 
The person who will use it freidy just before beginning to speak, will 
not be troubled with hoarseness. 1 would like to adil that the root 
boileil ilown and sweetened into a thick syrup will give relief in the 
severest cases. It was formerly used in this way in our family, and 
though very bail to take, never failed to give relief. 

:;. When the voice is lost, as is sometimes the case, from the effects 
of a cold, a simple, pleasant remeily is furnished by beating uj^ the 
white of one egg, aiUling to it the juice of one lemon and sweetening 
with white sugar to taste. Take a teaspiu>jjful from tinu- to time. It 
has been known to effeitually cure the ailment. 

3. Hoil tut) ouiues of Haxseed in one ijuart of water, strain, and 
then add two t>unies of rock canily, half a i)int of syrup or honey, 
anil the juice ot tluee lentous; mix, and then boil together. Let it 
then coi>i, and bottle for use. Take one cupful lu"fore giung to bed 
— the hotter you drink it the better. 

4. Miss Parloa gives this cure for hoarseness; Hake a lemon or 
sour orange for twenty minutes in a nu)ilerate oven, then open it at 
one end and ilig out the inside, which sweeten with sugar or molasses, 
ami eat. This will cure hoarseness and remove the pressure from 
the lungs. 

Holland Gin. — 'I\> oiu' hundred gallons of rtntirieil spirits adil 
(aftiM" vou have cut the oils well) one ami one-half oumesof the oil (»f 
I'.nglish juniper, one-half ounce of angelica essence, one-half ounce 
of the oil of nuiaiuler, ami one-half ouiue of oil of caiaway; put this 
into the revtitieil spirit and rmnniage well. This is strong gin. To 
make this up, as it is calU-d by the trade, aiUI fiuty-tive poutuis of 
loaf sugar dissolved, then runnnage tlie whole well together with 
t\«ui ounns roihi- alum. I'or linings, add four ounces salts of tartar. 

Home Devices. — To make a serviceable handkerchief case, take a 



WHA T E VER V ONE SIIO ULD KNO IV. 205 

piece of black oil-cloth (you can get it at any harness-maker's), cut 
one piece six and one-half by seven inches for the back; then cut 
four pieces, three-cornered, two of them seven and one-half inches 
on one side, and five on the other sides, and the other two, six and 
one-half inches on one side and five on the other two sides. Now 
bind each piece with narrow ribbon and line them, turning in the 
edges and catching it down nicely on the binding. Now lay them on 
the back, the long sides on the longest of the back, etc., then sew 
over and over on the right side; this brings the p">ints all in the cen- 
ter. Fasten the two end points together and put a hook on one side- 
point, and an eye on the other. Then put a little bow on the out- 
side. 

To make burned-match receivers of spice boxes: Crochet a cover; 
begin with a chain long enough to reach around the bag; join it and 
crochet it deep enough to cover the bag. Then make a row of scal- 
lops around the top and bottom, but do not put a bottom in, as the 
bag will stay just as well, if it is not too loose. Now make a chain 
about half a yard long and sew it on opposite sides of the cover to 
hang it up by. 

Take small boxes, such as ink comes in, or about that size; then 
take an old quilt or old pieces of cloth (you can stuff it as much as 
you like), and lay it on the bottom of the box outside, or turn the box 
upside down. Now nail a piece of carpet over this and put a piece 
around the side, turning the edge and nailing it on the inside. They 
make pretty stools and are inexpensive. 

Hints for Home Comforts. — A short needle makes the most ex- 
pedition in plain sewing 

When you are particular in wishing to have precisely what you 
want from a butcher's, go and purchase it yourself. 

People in general are not aware how very essential to the health of 
their inmates is the free admission of light into their houses. 

A leather strap, with a buckle to fasten, is much more convenient 
than a cord for a box in general use; cording and uncording is incon- 
venient 

Sitting to sew by candle-light by a table with a dark cloth on it is 
injurious to the eye-sight. When no other remedy presents itself, 
put a sheet of white paper before you. 

People very commonly complain of indigestion; how can it be won- 
dered at, when they seem by their habit of swallowing their food 
wholesale, to forget for what purpose they are provided with teeth. 

Never allow your servants to put wiped knives on your table; for, 
generally speaking, you may see that they have been wiped off with 
a dirty cloth. If a knife is brightly cleaned, they are compelled to 
use a clean cloth. 

There is not anything gained in economy by having very young 
and inexperienced servants at low wages; they break, waste, and de- 
stroy more than an equivalent for higher wages, setting aside com- 
fort and respectability. 



2o6 IVHA T E VER Y ONE SHOULD KNO IV. 

Home Education. — The following rules are worthy of being print- 
ed in letters of gold, and placed in a conspicuous place in every 
household: 

From our children's earliest infancy inculcate the necessity of in- 
stant obedience. 

Unite firmness with gentleness. Let your children always under- 
stand that you mean what you say. 

Never promise them anything unless you are quite sure you can 
give what you say. 

If you tell a child to do something, show him how to do it and see 
that it is done. 

Always punish your child for wilfully disobeying you, but never 
punish him in anger. 

Never let them know that they vex you, or make you lose your 
self-command. 

If they give way to petulance or ill-temper wait till they are calm, 
then gently reason with them on the impropriety of their conduct. 

Remember that a little present punishment, when the occasion 
arises, is much more effectual than the threatening of a greater pun- 
ishment, should the fault be renewed. 

Never give your children anything because they cry for it. 

On no account alhnv them to do at one time what you have for- 
bidden, under the same circumstances, at another. 

Teach them that the only sure and easy way to appear good is to 
be good 

Accustom them to make their little recitals with perfect truth. 
Never allow tale bearing. 

Teach them self-denial, no', self-indulgence. 

Honey (Artificial). — i. Mix together ten pounds white sugar, two 
pounds clear bees' honey, one quart hot water, half an ounce cream 
tartar; when cold, flavor with two or three drops attar of roses, and 
sprinkle in a handful of clear, yellow honey-comb, broken up. This 
will deceive the best judges, and is perfectly healthful. 

2. Take ten pounds good while (brown) sugar, three pounds soft 
water, .'wo and one-half pounds bee bread honey, forty grains cream 
tartar, twelve drops of oil of peppermint, three ounces gum arable, 
one drop attar of rose, put them into a brass or copper kettle, and 
boil them for five minutes; then take two teaspoonfuls of pulverized 
slippery elm and mix with one pound of water; then strain it and mix 
it into the kettle; take it off and beat up the white of two eggs and 
stir them in; let it stand two minutes, then skim it well, and when 
neaijy cold add one pound of pure bees' honey, and so on for larger 
quantities. 

Honey — to separate from wax. — Put honeycomb and all in a tin 
pan upon a moderately warm stove, adding a tablespoonful of water 
to each pound of honey. Stir occasionally witii a ])iece of wire until 
the contents of the pan are in a liquid condition. Do not allow boil- 
ing to begin. Remove the pan from the lire, and set it aside to cool. 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 207 

The cake of wax, to which all impurities will adhere, may then be 
carefully lifted off with a knife. 

Hops (The) — uses of. — The hop is a narcotic, tonic, and diuretic ; 
it reduces the frequency of the pulse, and does not effect the head, 
like most anodynes. 

Used externally, it acts as an anodyne and discutient, and is useful 
as a fomentation for painful tumors, rheumatic pains in the joints, 
and severe contusions. A pillow stuffed with hops acts as a narcotic. 

When the powder is mixed with lard, it acts as an anodyne dressing 
in painful ulcers. 

Dose. — Of the extract, from five grains to one scruple; of the tinct- 
ure, from half a dram to three drams; of the powder, from three 
grains to one scruple; of the infusion, half an ounce to one and a half 
ounces. 

Hoof-ail in Sheep. — Muriatic acid and butter of antimony, of each 
two ounces; white vitriol, pulverized, one ounce; mix. Lift the foot, 
and drop a little of it on the bottom, only once or twice a week. It 
kills the old hoof, and a new one soon takes its place. 

Horn — in imitation of tortoise-shell. — First steam, and then press 
the horn into proper shape, and afterward lay the following mixture 
on with a small brush, in imitation of the mottle of tortoise-shell. 
Take equal parts of quicklime and litharge, and mix with strong 
soap-lees. Let this remain until it is thoroughly dry; brush off, and 
repeat two or three times if necessary. Such parts as are required to 
be of a reddish brown should be covered with a mixture of whiting 
and the stain. 

Horn (The) — to curve. — Rasp the horn on the outside if you wish 
to turn the horn in. It will give life to that part, and increase its 
growth wonderfully on the side rasped. You can give the horn any 
shape you please by scraping. 

Horn (Cows') — to polish. — The cow's horns can be easily polished 
in the following way: Take a rather coarse file and file all of the 
rough places as smooth as convenient; then take No. 2 sand-paper 
and rub until a good surface is obtained, then No. i, and follow with 
No. o. After all of the scratches from the coarser sand-paper are 
removed, rub with rotten-stone and oil on a woolen rag. This will 
give it a mirror-like polish if all of the scratches are previously re- 
moved. 

Horn — to polish and mount. — Boil the horn to remove the pith 
unless it is already out. Scrape with glass or a sharp knife, dipping 
the horn in hot water occasionally to keep it soft. When all the 
roughness and spots are off, rub with fine sand-paper or emery paper 
around the horn. When as smooth as they can be made in this way, 
take powdered pumice-stone or rotten-stone, with a flannel cloth and 
linseed oil, and rub lengthwise until all the sand-paper marks are re- 
moved; then rub with a clean flannel cloth till fully polished. It is 
said that after this a cotton cloth, and finally tissue paper, will pro- 
duce a still higher polish, and 1 think it worth trying, A pair of 



2o8 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

horns can be mounted by taking a block of wood long enough to ex- 
tend into the horns, leaving them the original distance apart. Then 
fill the horns with wet plaster of Paris, and push them on the ends of 
the block. When dry they will be solid, and covered with satin or 
plush, they will be " perfectly splendid." The block may be rounded 
at the top and flattened at the bottom, so as to set securely on a shelf 
or bracket. 

Horse (Balky) — cure for. — I would prepare myself with a good 
strap — I want no whip; perhaps he has got a taste of that already, 
and still he is master. But some fine day when I was at peace with 
all around, I would hitch him to the buggy, turning his head to the 
village. He goes half the way very well indeed, then he begins to 
consider that he has gone far enough in that direction, and stops. I 
step down; he expects me to use the whip. As a criminal I treat him 
on the silent system. I push him back a little out of the way. I 
show him the strap, putting it up to his nose. I go to the off side 
and buckle it to his fore leg, close up to his breast, throwing the other 
end over his shoulder; I then raise his near foot and fix it near the 
hoof, nearly touching the belly. This done, I say: " Now, old chap, 
you just stand there." I don't smoke, so I take a paper from my 
pocket, and finding a place where I can sit down, and he sees me, I 
begin to read. This is something he did not bargain for, and the 
novelty of standing on three legs somewhat diverts his mind from the 
cause that stopped him. I think this is the chief point to be gained, 
and the most humane. When the strap is taken off I show it to him, 
caress him a little, and we move on without irritation. The strap 
will now become a part of the harness for a month or two. till at last 
the sight of it will act as a talisman. 

Horse (Balky) — cure for. — i. Hermann Koon, my German neigh- 
bor, is as patient a man as belongs to that patient race. Coming 
along the road a month or so ago, I saw Hermann lying in a fence 
corner, under the shade of an elm, quietly smoking his pipe. A 
quarter of a mile or so beyond I saw Hermann's horse and buggy by 
the roadside, the horse evidently tied to a post. This was a queer 
condition of affairs, for my neighbor is one of the most industrious 
men I know. My curiosity was aroused, and I stopped for an ex- 
planation. In broken English he told me his horse, a recent pur- 
chase, had proved balky, had stopped where he now stood, and no 
amount of coaxing could induce him to go on. Hermann did not 
curse the animal ; he did not strike it with his whip, beat it with a 
club, build a fire under its belly, nor resort to any other of the brutal 
means some men use in such cases. He quietly got out of the buggy, 
led the horse to the post, and walked off, leaving it to its own reflec- 
tions. Hermann had been taking it easy under the tree for three 
long hours. He thought the horse would be glad to go now if re- 
quested to do so. It had once before stopped with him, and after a 
patient waiting alone, for an hour, it went on all right. He expected 
about four hours, this time, would effect a permanent cure of the bad 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 209 

habit. I went on about my business, leaving the stolid German to 
his pipe and his thoughts. To-day I met him again. He said the 
horse was eager to start when he went back to the buggy, and though 
he has used it every day since, no disposition to balk has been mani- 
fested. He believes there will be no repetition of the offense. Most 
men think they cannot afford to waste time in this way, perhaps, but 
if the horse is cured he is a valuable one ; v/hereas, if it had become 
a chronic balker, through cruel management, it would be worthless. 
Hermann thought he could not make money faster than by saving the 
reputation of his horse. It is a new system, but Hermann says it will 
work well every time, if the horse is not naturally vicious. 

2. One method to cure a balky horse is to take him from the car- 
riage and whirl him rapidly around till he is giddy. It requires two men 
to accomplish this — one at the horse's tail. Don't let him step out. 
Hold him to the smallest possible circle. One dose will often cure 
him, two doses are fmal with the worst horse that ever refused to stir. 
Another plan is to fill his mouth with the dirt or gravel from the road, 
and he will at once go, the philosophy of this being that it gives him 
something else to think about. 

Horse Blanket — to make. — Four jute bran sacks sewed together 
will make a horse blanket that is not too warm, nor too expensive for 
nightly use in the barn. They are sufficiently porous to allow a wet 
horse to dry off in the stable, and yet are a considerable protection 
from cold currents of air. 

HorsesT-breaking and training (Rarey's directions). — In train- 
ing horses you must remember that there are certain natural laws 
that govern them. For instance, it is natural for him to kick when- 
ever he gets badly frightened; it is natural for him to escape from 
whatever he thinks will do him harm His facilities of seeing, hear- 
ing, and smelling, have been given him to examine everything new 
that he is brought in contact with. And so long as you present him 
with nothing that offends his eyes, nose, or ears, you can then handle 
him at will, notwithstanding he may be frightened at first, so that in 
a short time he will not be afraid of anything he is brought in contact 
with. All of the whipping and spurring of horses for shying, stum- 
bling, etc., is useless and cruel. If he shies, and you whip him for it, 
it only adds terror, and makes the object larger than it would other- 
wise be ; give him time Jo examine it without punishing him. He 
should never be hit with the whip, under any circumstances, or 
for anything that he does. As to smelling oil, there is nothing that 
assists the trainer to tame his horse better. It is better to approach 
a colt with the scent of honey or cinnamon upon your hand, than the 
scent of hogs, for horses naturally fear the scent of hogs, and will at- 
tempt to escape from it, while they like the scent of honey, cinnamon, 
or salt. To affect a horse with drugs you must give him some prep- 
aration of opium, and while he is under the influence of it, you can- 
not teach him anything more than a man when he is intoxicated 
with liquor. Another thing, you must remember to treat him kindly, 



•.'1.. //■////' A'/AA')' ('.\7' \//(>r/ /> A. \ (>//•. 

loi w lu'ii \iiii ir(|uiic clicdifiu (• hum .my Mil)j«'( I, i( is lnMlcc lo liuvo 
it iriulcifil liiMM a scns<.' of U)vr lliiiM Umi. Voii sliowKI Itr lai'rlill not 
to ( tialr ilir lips «>l yout colt or lim I his nioiitU in any way ; it' you <1<> 
1m- will (lir,lil>,o to liavr llir hiidlc on. All«T \\c is (aUKhl lo follow yon, 
ilu 11 pill on till' liaiufss, piHlinf; your lin«s lliionj^h the shaft straps 
alon^ tlu- •.idr, and tra* h hitn to yield to the* rtM^ns, tnin short to the 
rij^hl and liil, li-ai h liiin lo slaml ^itill before hois rvcr hitclu'd up; 
you linn liave coi\trol ovei him. If he gets frij^htened, the lines 
shoidd I'c used us a telei.*! aph, lo let him know what you want luin to 
A\K No lu>rse Is nalni .ill\ \ u ions, l>ul alwaN;. (d>cys his liaincr US 
iUHnx as he i'on\pr<du'uds w lial lir woidd ha\e hin\ do; ytui u>u.>.t be 
linn with him al the same time, .md ).;i\e him to nnderstanil that you 
aie llie li.iinei, .md ih.il he is the Iioim-, The !)est bits l«) be Used to 
hold a li>«i,-.e, to tvi-ep lus moulh liom ).;ellmf^ sore, is U SltaiKht l)ar- 
bit, lour and one-hall in* lu-s loni^ between the lin^s; this operates on 
bo(h sides of the jaw, while the oidinary snatlle forms a elanip and 
pjesses the .side of the jaw. The euib or briiloon Inn Is Ins uiuler jaw 
so that he- will slop bifiue he will k'^** t" •''<:' rei^^n. To lhn>w a 
horse, pul .1 lope iwtUi- U s l U'ln; .uomid his boily in a runnin)^' 
nt>ose, p.iss il down lo the i i^ht lote loot thron^b -i < b»f; in a spanoil, 
ilien I'uiUle np ihe lel( oi near lore ft)ot. take a liun hold oiv your 
rope, lead him iUomul until he is tired, j^ive hii»J a shove with y«)ur 
shonldei.ai ihe ^ian^c time drawii\K up tin* iij;hl foot whieh blinds hUu 
t>n his knees, hold liim ste.id\ . and in a lew in»»nu"nts he will lie 
ilown. Nevei atlempl lo hold him .'.till, l(>i ihe moic he snutlK-s the 
belter. 

Tuke yinir eoll into a ti^hl loom oi pen, and with a lon^ whip 
eomujenee snappin,'^ at the lolts hind K-^, taking laie not to hit above 
the luH'ks, stopping inunediately when ihe toll tnins his heail tt>ward 
you; while his heail is lowaid you, approach him with the left haml 
extemlevl towaivl him, luddm^ yom" whip in the ii!;ln, ready to snui> 
him as s.ton as he tin as his head fion» you. In this way you eau 
.soon ^ci \ om hatuls upon him. As soon as yon have done this, he 
curetul t*) t-.uess hin\ (ov his obetlienee, atul snap him for his dlso- 
bcdit'uee. In this way he will soon leam that he is safest ii\ your 
pveset\ie wilh his he.ul low.uil \on, .mvl in a very short time you can- 
not keep him aw.»v fiom >ou, .Spe.ik kiiully ui\il tiri\»lv to him, uU 
ihe tin»e caiessin^ him, calling; by name, and Siiyinj;. " llo, boy," 
oi " lb>, nin.i," OI >,»>me l,u\>ili.n wvud that he will soon U'arn. 

II A V oil 1'. .ovkw.ud .md e.ueless at tiist, you must bear with hin\, 
^enu-mbeiim; th.n we, lv>o, weie awkward wlien yv>unj.i; allowinj; hin\ 
his own w.iy, until by de>;rees he will •con\e in. If l»e is wilful, you 
must then ch.in^e voni imnse id lie.itment, by coidininj; him it\ such 
a way that he is pv>werU'ss lot h.nn\ uiUil he. submits. If he is dis, 
pv>sed to run. use mv pi>le cheek on him; d to kick, fasten a rope 
tiu)uiul his mulct i.iw. p.iss it tlniui^h the coll.vr and atlai'h it to his 
hi«\d feel. In this \v.»\ one kick will cnie him. as the force if the 
hlow tails on his i.o\ . It he >^hould be stubbon\, lav hin> down and 



IVIIA T E VER V ONE SI 10 ULD KNO W. 211 

coiifme him until you subdue him, without punishing him with the 
whip. 

Colts shouhl be broke without blind-bridles; after they arc well 
broke, then you may put on blinds. Bridles without l)linds are the 
best tmless you want to speed your horse, then it will be necessary 
to keep him from seeing' the whip. Colts should be well handled and 
taught to give readily to the reign before they are hitched up. If you 
hitch them up the first thing and they become frightened, then you 
have no control over them; but if you teach them to start, stop, and 
stand at the word before they are hitched, then you can govern them. 

Horses — cruelty to. — Besides the cruel punishment inflicted upon 
horses, by the careless and heartless driver, he is subjected to severe 
punishment in the winter season, by being compelled to take frozen 
bits into his mouth in cold weather, tearing the skin from the tongue 
and the roof of his mouth, producing a heavy inflammation in the 
mouth and throat; he gets poor, hidebound, and the sympathetic 
nerves of the head take up the inflammation, carry it to the head and 
eyes, frequently producing blindness, and a hundred other diseases. 
The whip should be used as an instrument of pleasure instead of tor- 
ture; aad your bits should be wound with flannel or leather; so that 
no frozen iron will come in contact with his mouth, lips, or tongue. 

Horseshoeing — Rarey's directions for. — There are very few 
blacksmiths that ever once think what a complicated piece of machin- 
ery the foot of a horse is, and by one careless blow they frequently 
stop the working of this machine. The majority of smiths, as soon 
as they pick up a horse's foot, go tf) work paring the heel, from the 
fact that it is the most convenient part of the foot, and thereby de- 
stroy the heel and braces of the foot, causing, in many instances, con- 
tracted heels. The heel of a horse should be well kept up and the toe 
down. By lowering the heels you throw the entire weight of your 
horse upon the back tendon of the legs, and thereby produce lame- 
ness from overtaxing a very important set of tendons. By keeping 
up the heel you throw the weight upon the wallof the foot. In this 
position you prevent stumbling, clicking," etc. Next the shoer com- 
mences to pare away the sole, thins it down until he can feci it spring 
with his thumb. Ask him why he does this, and he gives you no 
reason, except from custom ; next comes the bars or braces of the 
foot, they are smoothed down ; next in his ruinous course, comes the 
frogs of the feet, they are subjected to the same cutting and smooth- 
ing process. All the cutting, paring and smoothing of the soles, 
bars, or frogs is a decided injury to the horse as well as to the owner. 
All the corns in the land are produced by this process of paring. The 
frf)gs have been placed in the foot by nature to expand the wall of 
the foot, and as soon as you commence to cut it, the oily substance 
commences to leak out, it dries up, becomes hard, losing its oily sub- 
stance, makes the wall hard and dry, inducing it to crack. The 
nerves of the feet are very sensitive, and smiths should be very care- 
ful not to prick the foot, as it requires quite a time to relieve them. 



212 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

The foot is a very complicated piece of machinery, and if you keep a 
horse well shod and his foot in good condition, you can then gener- 
ally manage the balance. The feet suffer from being kept too dry. 
Horses that stand on board floors should have their feet wet every 
day, or there should be a vat five inces deep, five feet long, and three 
wide, filled with water and clay, in which each horse can stand for 
one hour per week, unless his feet are feverish, then he should be 
kept in it an hour per day, or until the fever subsides. Another 
source of injury to horses' feet, is the habit of patronizing cheap 
blacksmiths. If a man can drive a nail, he then sets up a sign as a 
farrier or a veterinary surgeon, when in fact he knows nothing of the 
anatomy of the horse's foot; not having spent any time or money in 
acquiring the necessary information, he can afford to shoe a few shil- 
lings cheaper than a well-informed man; but the patrons of such 
cheap shoeing are generally the sufferers. All horseshoers should be 
well skilled veterinary surgeons, or there should be a skilful surgeon 
attached to every shop. Another source of poor shoeing and injury 
is the loss of elasticity of the frog, refusing to perform its proper 
functions; the heel contracts, the foot rolls, and you have a sore horse 
for ten or twelve months, for it requires this long to relieve a horse's 
suffering from being badly shod. 

Under the circumstances, the first thing that touches the road or 
the floor of the stall, should be the frog, and the wall of the foot 
should be kept cut so as not to prevent it from touching at every 
step; and no man that owns a horse should ever allow a blacksmith 
to cut the soles, bars, or frogs of his horse's feet. Nature has adapt- 
ed the frogs to all description of roads, climates, and weather, with- 
out being pared. So many horses have been ruined by this process 
of paring that there are now several establishments in this country 
that manufacture India rubber pads, thinking thereby to supply the 
wasted frog and the elasticity of the natural foot. The frog is insen- 
sible to pressure, and you may place the whole weight of your horse 
on the frog and he will suffer no inconvenience, as may be seen from 
shoeing with one of my corn shoes; besides, this is the only reliable 
way to cure contracted feet; by throwing the weight upon the frog, 
you force them up between the walls; it acts as a wedge, and soon 
relieves the contracted feet. Smiths should never have their shoes 
hot when fitting them, as the application of hot iron extracts the oily 
substance from the hoof. The amount of cruel punishment inflicted 
on horses by cross-grain blacksmiths, is another source of poor shoe- 
ing. As soon as the horse does not stand the smith gets angry, and 
commences whipping and jerking the animal, which only adds terror 
to it, so that he soon refuses to go to the shop if he can avoid it; it is 
natural for horses to dislike to be shod, because the hammering shocks 
the nervous system, until they are accustomed to it. He should be 
taught to stand, and his feet well handled at home, before he is ever 
brought to the shop by the owner. You then save the horse pound- 
ing, and the smith an immense amount of labor that he never gets 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 213 

any pay for, for no man ever thinks of paying anything extra for 
shoeing a bad horse. The wall of the foot should never be rasped 
above the nail holes, and as little below the clinches as possible; all 
the rasping and filing but tends to thin and weaken the wall by cut- 
ting the fibers of the foot. The nails should be counter-sunk into the 
shoe, so that there will be no chance fer the clinches to rise. No 
horse interferes with the heel or toe; it is always the side of the foot. 
The habit of turning the inside of the shoe under causes a number of 
horses to interfere that would not if they were shod straight in the 
inside. Spread the heels as wide as possible; fet the outside a little 
under; keep the toes full. For clicking horses, raise the heels high, 
cut the toes short. For speedy cuts, place your toe corks a quarter 
of an inch to the inside of the center of your shoe; keep the heels 
v\^ide apart. For corns, put on a shoe with a prong, for the main 
rim, so as to cover the entire frog; pare the wall lower than the frog, 
so that his entire weight will be thrown on the frog. Have the inner 
cork not quite so sharp as the outer one, so that if he steps upon the 
other foot it will not cut it; make the shoes as light as possible con- 
sistent with good service, as they are ordinarily made just about one- 
third too heavy." 

Horses — ho-w to judge them. — If the color be light sorrel, or 
chestnut, his feet, legs, and face white, these are marks of kindness. 

If he is broad and full between the eyes, he may be depended upon 
as a horse of good sense, and capable of being trained to anything. 

As respects such horses, the more kindly you treat them the better 
you will be treated in return. Nor will a horse of this description 
stand a whip, if well fed. 

If you want a safe horse, avoid one that is dish-faced. He may be 
so far gentle as not to scare; but he will have too much go-ahead in 
him to be sac'e with everybody. 

If vou want a fool, but a horse of great bottom, get a deep bay, 
with not a white hair about him. If his face is a little dished, so 
much the worse. Let no man ride such a horse that is not an adept 
n riding — they are always tricky and unsafe. 

If you want one that will never give out, never buy a large, over- 
grown one. 

A black horse cannot stand heat, nor a white one cold. 

If you want a gentle horse, get one with more or less white about 
the head; the more the better. Many people suppose the parti-col- 
ored horses belonging to the circuses, shows, etc., are selected for 
their oddity. But the selections thus made are on account of their 
great docility and gentleness. 

Horses' Hoof — do not burn. — Never have a red-hot shoe put on 
the foot of a horse to burn it level. If you can find a blacksmith 
who is mechanic enough to level the foot without red-hot iron, em- 
ploy him. The burning process deadens the hoof and tends to con- 
tract it. If you do not believe it, try a red-hot poker on your nail, 
and see if it does i>ot effect the growth. 



214 WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

Horses' Broken Legs — to cure. — Instead of summarily shooting 
the horse, in the greater number of fractures it is only necessary to 
partially sling the horse by means of a broad piece of sail, or other 
strong cloth placed under the animal's belly, furnished with two 
breechings'and two breast girths, and by means of ropes and pulleys 
attached to a cross beam above, he is elevated, or lowered, as may 
be required. By the adoption of this plan every facility is allowed 
for the satisfactory treatment of fractures. 

Horse Stables — cold air in.— Horses are quite sensitive to chill- 
ing draughts of air blowing upon them, and especially upon their 
heads; hence, in the construction of stables this should be borne in 
mind. Many stables have the horses face an alley, along the sides 
of which are doors, or a large space is left entirely open; in such 
cases, whenever the rear stable door and the one leading out of the 
alley are open, the horses stand in a chilling draught, from which 
they cannot escape. Horses, like many people, can stand much 
wind in an open field, but will catch cold while in a draught only a 
short time. 

Horses* Hoofs (Cracks in) — to cure. — Cracks in the hoofs of 
horses may sometimes be cured by cutting across them Avith a chisel 
above, or below, as the case may be. The sides may be held closer 
together with an iron in the form of a stitch or clinch. While heal- 
ing do not use the horse. 

Horses' Heads — do net check. — We desire to register an earnest 
protest against this barbarous appendage to horses' harness. It re- 
tards the horse's progress in every position, both while he is at v'ork, 
and while traveling on a journey. It is both useless and cruel in 
every sense of the word, without any compensating qualities to 
recommend it. Mr. Angell of the " Boston Society for the Preven- 
tion of Cruelty to Animals," who has traveled over a great part of 
Europe in the interests of humanity to our dumb servants, says that 
the use of the check rein is confined to America alone, being de- 
servedly discarded everywhere, both in England and on the Con- 
tinent. To check rem a horse, is equivalent to trussing a man's 
head backward toward his back or heels, and compelling him, while 
bound in this position, to do duty with a loaded wheelbarrow. 

Horses on the toad — how to feed. — Many persons, in traveling, 
feed their horses too much, and too often, continually stuflSng them, 
and not allowing them to rest and digest their food ; of course they 
suffer from over-fullness, and carr3-ing unnecessary v.-eight. Horses 
should be well fed in the evening, and must not be stuffed too full in 
the morning, and the traveling should be moderate en starting when 
the horse has a full stomach. If a horse starts in good condition, he 
can go twenty or twenty-five miles without feeding. The provender 
required by horses while traveling or engaged in ordinary farm 
work, per day, may be stated thus : llay twenty pounds, oats three 
gallons, water four gallons. 

Horiics — hinls on Iccdinc:.— Com is aa excellent feed for horses 



I'VHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 215 

to work on; perhaps not so good for fast driving. Horses are more 
quiet and tractable on corn than with any other grain, and will do 
more hard pulling with less loss in condition. Oats make a horse 
sprightly and active; corn may make a horse dull and glow, but 
strong. For colts, wheat bran should be mixed with the corn; it v/ill 
be lighter and less heating. Feed horses accordmg to their age and 
the work required of them. Full feed and little work disorders tne 
digestive organs. Select only such hay as is of the best quality. 
Poor hay is dear at any price, as there is no proper nourishment 
in it. 

Horses — how to judge when buying. — i. Never take the seller's 
word. If disposed to be fair, he may have been the dupe of another, 
and will decieve you through misrepresentations which cannot be re- 
lied upon. 

2. Never trust a horse's mouth as a sure index of his age. 

3. Never buy a horse while in motion; watch him while he stands 
at rest and you will discover his weak points. If sound, he will stand 
firmly and squarely on his limbs without moving any of them, feet 
planted flat upon the ground, with legs plump and naturally poised. 
If one foot is thrown forward with the toe pointing to the ground and 
the heel raised, or if the foot is lifted from the ground and the weight 
taken from it, disease of the navicular bone may be suspected, or at 
least tenderness, which is a precursor of disease. If the foot is thrown 
out, the toe raised, and the heel brought down, the horse has suffered 
from lamnitis, founder, or the back sinews have been sprained, and 
he is of little future value. When the feet are all drawn together 
beneath the horse, if there has been no disease there is a misplace- 
ment of the limb at least, and weak disposition of the muscles. If 
the horse stands with his feet spread apart, or straddles with his hind 
legs, there is weakness of the loins, and the kidneys are disordered. 
When the knees are bent, and totter and tremble, the beast has been 
ruined by heavy pulling, and will never be right again, whatever rest 
and treatment he may have. Contracted or ill-formed hoofs speak 
for themselves. 

4. Never buy a horse with a bluish or milky coat in his eyes. 
They indicate a constitutional tendency to ophthalmia, moon blind- 
ness, etc. 

5. Never have anything to do with a horse who keeps his ears 
thrown backward. This is an invariable indication of bad temper. 

6. If a horse's hind legs are scarred, the fact denotes that he Is a 
kicker. 

7. If the knees are blemished, the horse is apt to stumble. 

8. When the skin is rough and harsh, and does not move easily 
and smoothly to the touch, the horse is a heavy eater, and digestion 
is bad. 

9. Avoid ahorse whose respiratory organs are at all impaired. If 
the ear is placed to the heart and a wheezinj sound is heard, it is an 
indication of trouble. 



2i6 VHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

Horses — to tell the age of. — Every horse has six tcetli above and 
below. Before three years oUl he sheds his mitldle teeth; at three he 
sheds one more on each side of the central teeth; at four he sheds the 
two corner and last of the four teeth. 

Between tour and five the horse cuts the under tusks; at live will 
cut his upper tusks, at which time his mouth will be complete. 

At six years the grooves and hollows begin to fill up a little; at 
seven the grooves will be well nigh filled up, except the corner teeth, 
leaving little brown spots where the dark brown hollows formerly 
were. 

At eight the whole of the hollows and grooves are filled up. 
At nine there is very often seen a small bill to the outside corner 
teeth; the point of the tusk is worn off, and the part that was con- 
cave begins to fill up and become rounding; the squares of the cen- 
tral teeth begin to disappear, and the gums leave them small and 
narrow at the top. 

Horses — to prevent from jumping. — Pass a good stout surcingle 
around his body; put on his halter, and have the halter-strap long- 
enough to go from his head, between his fore legs, then through the 
surcingle and back to one of his hind legs. Procure a thill strap, 
and buckle around the leg between the foot and joint; fasten the hal 
ter-strap in this — shorter or longer, as the obstinacy of the case may 
require. It is also useful to keep colts from running where there is 
likely to be danger from the result; if the thill strap should cause any 
soreness on the leg, it may be wound with a wiK>len cloth, and it 
would be well to change it from one leg to another occasionally. 

Horses — to prevent kicking in the stall. — Fasten a short trace- 
chain about two feet long, by a strap to each hind foot. A better way 
is to have the stalls made wide enough so that the horse can turn in 
them easily. Close them Avith a door or bars, and turn the animal 
loose. After a while he will forget the habit, and stand tied without 
further trouble. 

Horse Management — hints on. — Young man, I see you are about 
to take a tlrive this morning, and will offer you some advice. Your 
horse is restive and vv'ants to be off before you are ready; you may 
as well break him of this now as at any time, and hereafter you will 
find it has been a half hour well spent. Just give me the reins, while 
you put your foot on the step, as if to get in; the horse makes a move 
to go; I tighten the reins and say " whoa." Now put your foot on 
the step agam; the horse makes another move; I hold the reins and 
speak to him again. The horse is getting excited. Pat him a little 
on the neck, and talk to him soothingly. Put your foot on the step 
again, and repeat the process until the horse will stand still for you 
to get in, and adjust yourself in your seat, and tell him to go. A few 
such lessons will train him so that he will always wait for the order 
before starting. Now, as your horse has just been fed, drive him at 
a gentle pace for the first two or three miles, until he warms up, and 
his body becomes lighter. But, before you start, let me show you 



WirA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD A' NO W. 217 

how to hold the reins. Take them in the left hand, have them of 
equal length from the bit, and cross each other in your hand, the (jff 
side one resting? on the fourth finger, the back of the hand upwards. 
Now, in guiding the horse, you have only to use the wrist joint, 
which will direct him either right or left, as you wish. Keep your 
hand steady, with a gentle pressure on the bit — no jerking or swilch- 
ing of the reins. If more sp^ed is wanted, take the whip in ycnir right 
hand, to be gently used for that purpose; be careful not to apply it 
harder than is necessary to bring him uj) to the required speed. 

Speak to him soothingly, and intimate in the most gentle manner 
what you want him to do, imd he will try to do it. So noble an 
animal should not be handled roughly nor overdriven. 

When you return have the harness removed at once, and the horse 
rubbed down with a wisp of straw or hay. Give him a bite of straw 
or hay, and let him cool off before being watered or fed. Every one 
who handles a horse or has anything to do with one, should in the first 
place cultivate his acquaintance; let hiiTi know that you are his friend, 
and prove it to him by your kind treatment; he needs this to inspire 
confidence, and when that is gained, he is your humble servant. 

If your horse gets frightened at any unusual sight or noise, do not 
whip him, for if you do he will connect the whipping with the object 
that alarmed him, and i)e afraid of it ever after. If he merely shies 
at an object, give him time to examine it, which, with some encour- 
aging words from the driver, will persuade him to pass it. You get 
frightened, too, sometimes, and would not like to be whipped for it. 

Horses (Rearing) — to stop. — A correspondent cured a horse of the 
bad habit of rearing when mounted by providing himself with a bot- 
tle of water, and dashing the contents " with violence on its head" 
the moment it began to get up on its hind feet. A second applica- 
tion was never needed. 

Horse Remedies. — White lead, for bruises and breaks in the skin, 
saddle galls, etc.; bathing whisky, with about two ounces of turpen- 
tine, two ounces of hartshorn and a little camphor for sprains, stiff- 
ness, etc. Leaf lard for cuts. Coal oil applied to a slight sprain is 
also good. 

Horseradish — to keep for winter. — i. Take up before frost sets 
in, roots of horseradish, shake the dirt from them; bury them in a 
box of wet sand. This will preserve their full flavor. 

2. If horseradish be prepared in the fall as follows, it may Ijc kept 
all winter: To each coffeecupful of horseradisli allow one teaspoonful 
of salt, one tablespoonful of white sugar, and a pint and a half of 
good vinegar; bottle and seal. 

Horses — to tame. — Take finely grated horse castor, oils of rho- 
dium and cumin; keep them in separate bottles well corked; put 
some of the oil of cumin on your hand, and approach the horse on 
the windy side. He will then move toward you. Then rub some of 
the cumin on his tkjsc, give him a little of the castor on anything he 
likes, and get eight or ten drops oil of rhodium on his tongue. You 



2i8 WI/A T E VER V ONE SIIO ULD KNO IK 

can then get him to do anything you like. Be kind and attentive to 
the animal, and your control is certain. 

Horses — to feed. — It is best to give a horse water before giving 
oats. The water stays in the stomach a very short time, but is quick- 
ly absorbed or passed into the bowels, where it is absorbed and goes 
into the blood. The horse secretes a very large quantity — more than 
four quarts — of saliva while eating a meal, which is sufficient to re- 
duce the food to a pulp suitable for its digestion. So that to give 
water soon after eating, except in very small Quantity, would be apt 
to cause indigestion and waste of the food by excessive dilution. 

Hose (woolen) — to wash. — Woolen hose should be soaked all 
night and washed in hot suds with beef's gall, a tablespoonful to half 
a pail of water. Iron on the wrong side. 

Hot-beds — to make. — There is no mystery about a hot-bed, yet 
farmers and many others do without this convenience from some 
supposed difficulty in making and caring for it. Sashes, a few boards 
and some horse manure are the materials required. Regular hot-bed 
sashes are three by six feet, and may be I ought ready glazed at the 
sash and blind factories; old window sashes will answer as a make- 
shift, but are far less convenient. Select a place sheltered by a build- 
ing or fence from cold winds; dig a pit two and a half feet deep, as 
wide as the sashes are long, and as long as the number of sashes to 
be used require. Line this pit with rough boards n&iled to posts 
driven down at the corners. The rear board should extend a foot 
above the surface, and the front one four inches above. The front or 
lower side should face the south. Nail strips from front to rear for 
the sashes to slide upon. 

House-Cleaning Hints. — As anything that can lessen the labor of 
a house-keeper is desirable, I venture to contribute my mite. Save 
the tea leaves for a few days, then steep them in a tin pail or pan for 
half an hour, strain through a sieve, and use the tea to wash all var- 
nished paint. It requires very little rubbing or " elbow polish," as 
the tea acts as a strong detergent, cleansing the paint from its im- 
purities, and making the varnish shine equal to new. It cleanses 
window sashes and oil cloths; indeed, any varnished surface is im- 
proved by its application. It washes window-panes and mirrors 
much better than soap and water, it is excellent for cleansing black 
walnut picture and looking-glass frames. It will not do to wash un- 
varnished paint with it. Whiting is unequaled for cleansing white 
paint. Take a small quantity on a damp fiannel, rub lightly over 
the surface, and you will be surprised at its effects. Wall papers are 
readily cleansed by tying a soft cloth over a broom, and sweeping 
down the walls carefully. The dust and ashes of furnaces and stoves 
are deposited in every crack anil crevice of our rooms, and requires 
vigilant and active treatment for their removal. Carpets absorb 
great quantities of them. All who can afford it will find it a great 
improvement to use straw matting in summer, and in autumn cover 
them with carpet linings, or even common newspapers, then put 



WHA T K VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W, 219 

down the caq5ets over them. Cleansing silver is not an easy task; 
the use of kerosene will greatly facilitate the operation. Wet a flan- 
nel cloth in oil, dip in dry whiting, and thoroughly rub the plated or 
silverware; throw it into a dish of scalding soap-suds, wipe with a 
soft flannel, and polish with a chamois skin. Your silver or plate 
will look equal to that exhibited in a jeweler's window, and will re- 
tain its brilliancy for six months, if once a week, when washed, it is 
polished with a chamois skin. Bright silver adds much to the beauty 
of a table, and is easily attained by this method. Some may think it 
will injure the plate. I have used it spring and fall for five years, 
and neither plated articles or silver sustain any injury. Those who 
use brass and irons will find it equally efficacious in restoring their 
brightness. Old feather beds and pillows arc greatly improved- by 
putting them on a clean grass plot during a heavy shower; let the 
beds become thoroughly wetted, turning them on both sides. Let 
them lie out till thoroughly dry, then beat them with rods; this will 
lighten up the feathers and make them much more healthful to sleep 
upon. It removes dust and rejuvenates the feathers. 

Household Helps. — The use of a mop in washing dishes will be 
found a saving of the hands, and hotter water may be used. You 
need scarcely touch the water except at the last to wash the table and 
pans. Have a pan of clear hot water, in which dip each dish as it is 
washed; in another pan or shallow tin put a cup or bowl, and over 
that turn the saucers, plates, etc., to drain, and by the time you are 
ready they will be nearly dry, needing only a touch from the towel, a 
saving both of time and towels. 

For washing vegetables, procure from a five-cent store a small 
scrubbing-brush, which they call a nail-brush. You will find it a great 
help in removing the dirt from potato-eyes, etc. 

A holder is a necessary article, and catches much dirt about the 
stove. Make them of any old pieces of woolen. Then make a cover 
of some dark material. Cut a piece fifteen inches long and six inches 
wide, fold over six inches, and sew in form of bag, sew the end of the 
remaining three inches together, to make a point, fold that over and 
button to the bag, add a loop at the corner, and put in your holder. 
When the cover is soiled it can easily be removed and washed. 

When you sweep a room, take down all little articles, as brackets, 
vases, easels, etc., dust carefully, lay them on the table and cover 
with a cloth. When the sweeping is done and the large articles dusted, 
you will be relieved to have these ready to return to their places. 

When brushing and combing your hair, have a large newspaper 
spread on the floor. Loose hair is much easier removed from that 
than the carpet. 

To clean hair-brushes sprinkle them well with powdered borax, let 
them lie half an hour, then wash and rub thoroughly. It is a good 
plan to clean two, as they clean better by rubbing two together. 

The perfect housewife has a thorough knowledge of many little 
facts which render her home an exceptionally pleasant one. Without 



220 //YA/ T EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

this knowleilgc she is a domestic failure. Of what benefit to her are 
c(^stly things if she does not know how to take care of them? She 
may bo the i)cst of cooks, and know how to make twenty different 
omelets, and if she is not acquainted with the fact that a little salt 
rubbed on the discolored egg-spoon will restore its silver tint, she had 
better not serve eggs in any shape; and if they that had- the care of 
her youth never let her see that hot water took peach stains out of 
the tablecloth, or that port anci claret stains were rendered null by an 
immediate handful of salt, wet with sherry, she might as well buy 
gray and parti-colored damask to begin with. If an ink spot dis- 
figures the parlor carpet, she should know how to wash it out with 
milk, and clean up afterward with warm and nice soapsuds; or per- 
haps it is a grease spot, that could have been absorbed out of exist- 
ence by frequent applications of magnesia or of buckwheat flour, if 
she had only known enough to sprinkle it abundantly on the spot, 
and brush it off afterward. Do Hies collect in the dining-room dur- 
ing dinner? She can drive them away by leaving in the room an 
hour or so beforehand a little preparation of equal quantities of cream 
and brown sugar, and half as much black pepper. Of what use is it 
to her, living possibly far from bakeries and bread shops, to keep 
crackers, for instance, in the house, if she has never learned how to 
freshen them by leaving them for three minutes in a hot oven, or to 
prevent them being nibbed all over by ants by strewing the store- 
room shelves with a few cloves, occasionally renewed? Such things 
are trillcs, each one by itself, of course, but half a hundred such 
things can contribute very materially to comfort and good nature in 
a family, anil every housemistress should be a collecttu" of these un- 
considereil Irilles. 

House Painting — directions. — Priming. — Apply as thick as the 
paint will spread easily, rubbing out well with the brush. Use 
litharge as a dryer. After sandpapering and dusting, putty up all the 
nail heads and cracks with a putty-knife. 

OuTsiDK Skcono Coat. — Mix your paint with raw oil, using it as 
thick as possible consistent with easy spreading. After it is applied, 
cross-smooth the work until it is level and even, then finish length- 
wise with long light sweeps of the brush. 

Oi'isiDK Third Coat. — Make a little thinner than the last, rub out 
well, cross-smooth and finish very lightly with the tip of the brush. 

Inside Second Coat. — Mix your paint as thick as you can work 
it, using equal parts of raw oil and turpentine, rub this out well and 
carefully with the brush, cross-smooth and finish even and nice. 

Inside Third Coat. — Mix with three parts turpentine and one 
part of raw oil, rub out well and smooth off with great care. 

Fourth Coat, Fi.attino. — Mix with turpentine alone thin enough 
to admit of spreading before it sets. Apply quickly without cross- 
smoothing, and finish lengthwise with light touches of the tip of the 
brush, losing no time, as it sets rapidly. 

Drawn Flatting. — Ground white lead is mixed with turpentine 



WllA'J' Kl'KNY ONE SIIOLnJ) k'NOW. 221 

al^v^''t as thin as the last named mixture. The lead will soon settle 
and the oil and turpentine rise to the top; pour it off, and repeat the 
mixture until what rises to the top is clear turpentine. 'J'he oil l)einK 
all withdrawn by this process, the lead is mixed with turpentine, and 
applied thickly and evenly with great care. This is used as a fourth 
coat, and the room must be kept shut and free from draught, as the 
color sets as fast as it is put on. 

Plastered Walls. — Give them a coat of glue size before painting 
in oil. 

KiLLiNCx Smoky Walls or Ceilin(;s. — Wash over the smoky or 
greasy walls with nitre, soda, or thin lime whitewash — the last is the 
best. 

House Plants — care of. — With the improvements in the heating 
of houses, the culture of plants in our dwellings has greatly dimin- 
ished. Most persons can recollect plants that have been cultivated 
from year to year so long that they seemed to be members of the 
family. Grand old lemon trees, fine specimens of laurestinus and 
pittosporum are now rarely seen in house culture, and the ivy, cai)a- 
ble of such varied ornamental uses, is becoming uncommon. When 
our dwellings were heated by (jpen wood fires, the chief care needed by 
the plants was to protect them from the cold. At present this is the 
least of our trouljles, but others have come in its place. Still, even 
under all present disadvantages, plants may be successfully cultivated 
in the windows of the dwelling, if a few simple directi(jns are fol- 
lowed. One great enemy to hfjuse plants is dust. 

If there are plant shelves at the windows, or the pots are placed 
upon a table or stand, contrive some cover for them at sweeping 
time. This may be, for plants on shelves, a curtain of some light 
material — the lighter the better — to be suspended in such a manner 
as to cover them. If the plants are on a table, contrive an upright 
post or stick to be set in a hole in the middle of the table, to h(jld up 
the center of a spread of some kind that will cover the plants. In the 
absence of such protection, contrive some method of using old news- 
papers. Before sweeping, protect the plants by the use of a covering, 
and let this remain over them until the dust has completely settled. 

All smooth-leaved plants, esi)ecially ivy, camellias, cape jessami.ie, 
and the like, should have their leaves washed with a soft sponge — a 
rag will answer — on both sides, with tepid water, at least once a 
week. If this is once tried, it will be found much less trouble than 
one would suppose, and the increased beauty of the foliage will lead 
to its repetition. Rough-leaved plants, such as geraniums, and 
many others, cannot be washed to advantage. Set these in a bath- 
tub or in a sink, and give their leaves a good drenching by using a 
garden syringe if one is at hand, or else a watering-pot, one with fine 
holes, holding it up high so that the water will fall with force upon 
the leaves. 

If one allows insects to get the mastery, the case is difficult; but if 
the plants as soon as brought indoors have proper attention, insects 



222 WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

need p;ivc but little trouble. The three preat remedies for insects 
upon house plants are: the finj^i^ers, tobacco, and water. One who 
loves ])hints anil watches them, will note the (irst appearance of scale, 
mealy-bug, or other insect large enough to be readily seen, and re- 
move it. Scale may be readily removed by a blunt knife, and mealy- 
bug may be picked off by a match whittled to a point. Keep a supply 
of tobacco-water made by pouring boiling water upon tobacco-stems 
or any cheap kind of tobacco. When used, this is to be diluted, as 
the rule goes, "to the color of boarding-house tea." Diluted in this 
manner it may be showered upon plants infested with plant lice. 
Preferably, it may be placed in a keg or tub, and the plants infested 
with insects dipped in it for a few seconds, moving them gently 
about. The most troublesome of all insects in dry rooms is the red 
spider, a minute mite which attacks the undersides of the leaves. 
When the leaves of a ])lant turn brown, reil spider is the probable 
cause. A frequent application of water is the remedy. In this case, 
lay the pots on their sides so that the water will reach the under sur- 
face of the leaves. 

If a plant is not in flourishing condition, the common remedy is 
water, and it is watered again and continuously until the soil in the 
pot is merely mud, in which only the roots of aquatic plants can live. 
Vastly more house plants are injured by too much than by too little 
water. 'Inhere is but one rule for giving water to house plants, that 
is — give water when it is needed. There should be no indiscriminate 
daily watering, drenching all alike. It is far better for a plant to 
occasionally get a little dry, and f(n" its leaves to flag and droop, than 
to keep its roots soaked by an excess of water. The soil in the pots 
of house plants should be moist, like that of good garden soil just be- 
low the surface. If in this condition, no more water is needed. One 
by observing the soil, its color, and the manner in which it feels 
when pressetl by the finger, can soon learn to judge whether water is 
needed or not. 

Every one who cultivates house plants should learn to readily re- 
move the ball of earth from the pot, so that it can be inspected. By 
exposing the ball, the large earth worms may often be seen upon its 
surface, ami can be picked off. These as well as smaller worms that 
sometimes infest the soil, may be readily killed by the use of lime- 
water. Slake a piece of lime as large as the fist in a pail, and when 
slaked, fill the i)ail with water, stir, and let it rest. Use the perfectly 
clear water iq)on the soil in the i)i)ts. 

By observing these precautions as to dust, insects, and watering, 
the window cultivation of plants will be comparatively easy. Not 
only for the health of the plants, but of that of the inmates of the 
dwelling, the air, however heated, should be moistened by proper pro- 
vision for the evaporation of water. 

Mouse plants ought to be stimulated gently once or twice a week. 
Rainwater, so refreshing to summer llowers, always contains am- 
monia, which also abounds in all liquid manures. If you take an 



WHA T E VER V ONE SIIO ULD KNO W. 223 

ounce of pulverized carbonate of ammonia, dissolved in one gallon 
of water, it will make spring water even more stimulating to your 
plants than rain water. If you water your plants once in two weeks 
with guano water (one tablespoonful to a pail of water) they will 
grow more thrifty. 

House — how to set on fire. — i. Rub your furniture with linseed oil, 
and preserve carefully the old greasy I'ags used for this purpose, in a 
paper box in an out-of-the-way jjlace. 

2. If the fire in the stcjve does not burn well, pour benzine or kero- 
sene on it from a well-lilled gall(;n can. 

3. When you light a cigar, or the gas, throw the burning match — 
no matter where, and don't look after it even if it gets into the waste- 
paper basket. 

4. Put a burning candle on the shelf of a closet, and forget about 
it. 

5. Always read in bed until you fall asleep with a light burning 
near you, 

6. Always buy the cheapest kerosene you can get. 
Hydrophobia — positive cure for. — The dried root of elecampane, 

pulverize it, and measure out nine heaping tables[)(Jonfuls, and mix 
it with two or three teaspo(;nfuls of pulverized gum arable; then 
divide into nine equal portions. When a person is bitten by a rabid 
animal, take one of these portions and steep it in one pint of new 
milk, until nearly half the quantity of milk is evaporated; then strain, 
and drink it in the morning, fasting for four or five hours after. The 
same dose is to be repeated three mornings in succession, then skip 
three, and so on, until the nine doses are taken. 

The patient must avoid getting wet, or the heat of the sun, and ab- 
stain from high-seasoned diet, or hard exercise, and, if costive, take 
a dose of salts. The above quantity is for an adult; children will 
take less, according to age. 

Hydrophobia — cure for. — The following is said to be a cure for 
hydrcjphobia: Take two tablespoonfuls of fresh chloride of lime, mix 
it with one-half pint of water, and with this wash keep the wound 
constantly bathed and frequently renewed. The chloride gas pos- 
sesses the power of decomposing the tremendous poison, and ren- 
ders mild and harmless the venom against whose resistless attack the 
artillery of medical science has been so long directed in vain. It is 
necessary to add that this wash must be applied as soon as possible 
after the infliction of the bite. 

Hypophosphites — compound syrup of. — Dissolve two hundred 
and fifty-six grains each of hy[)oph(;sphites of soda, lime and potassa, 
and one hundred and twenty-six grains hypophosi)hite of iron, in 
twelve ounces water, by a water bath. I'ilter rmd add sufficient water 
to make up for the evapcjration. Add eighteen ounces sugar by gen- 
tle heat, to make twenty-one fluid ounces syrup. Each fluid ounce 
contains twelve grains each of the hypophosphites of soda, lime and 
potassa, and six grains hypophosphite of iron. 



224 /' '//^ T K VER Y ONE SIIO ULD KNO W. 

Hysterics — treatment of. — This complaint is confineti chiefly to 
females. A tit of hysterics is j*:eiierally the result of some natural 
ami inimeiiiate cause, ami until this is discovered and removed, the 
patient will always be sul)ject to these fits. When a person is seized 
with a lit the dress should be loosened, fresh air admitted, cold water 
dashed in the face, and salts, or sinji^ed feathers applied to the nos- 
trils. If consciousness does m)t then return, a drautrhtof sal-volatile 
and water should be given, ami if the patient be still insensible, the 
temples and the nape of the neck should be rubbed with l)randy. 
When hysterics can be traced to impaired r atural action, equal por- 
tions of pennyroyal and wi)rmwood should be steeped in boiling 
water, and sullered to simmer by the fire until the virtue of the herbs 
is extracted. It should then be allowed to cool, and half a pint be 
taken twice or thrice a day, succeetled on each occasion by a com- 
pound assaftx'tida pill, until the desired relief is afforded. 

H}sterics — cure for. — The fit may be prevented by the adminis- 
tration of thirty drops of lautlanum, and as many of ether. When 
it luis taken place open the wimlows, loosen the tiijht parts of the 
dress, sprinkle cold water on the face, etc. A glass of wine <.)r cold 
water when the patient can swallow. Avoid excitement and tight 
lacing. 

Ice — to keep. — Ice for domestic use can be well kept, packed from 
the air in sawilust or feathers. Small quantities may be wrapped in 
flannel, or put into a flannel jelly-bag, so that the water can drain 
off. 

Ice-cask — for preserving small quantities of ice. — Take two 
casks, one six or seven inches longer and wider than the other; into 
the larger of these put charcoal powder, three or four inches deep; 
then place the smaller cask, lilleil with ice, on this, and fill up the 
siiles between the two casks with charcoal powder rammed down 
tight; arrange a double cover ami (ill the ii\terstice in the same way 
as the siiles. When this is done, bore a hole one inch in diameter 
through the bottoms of the two casks, ami insert a wooden peg to let 
t>lT any water. Set the cask upon a stand, and keep it in as cool a 
place as possible. 

Ice — to cut. — Ice may be cut into small pieces, of any shape, 
merely by tapping into it the point of a tine needle. 

Ice — to make. — i. Get a quantity of empty barrels or boxes during 
the coldest time in the winter, and put a few inches of water in each; 
the evening when the cold is most intense is the best time to do this. 
After the water is frozen solid, till up iigain; repeat the process until 
the barrels are full of soliil ice, then roll them into your cellar, cover 
\\\v\\\ up with plenty of sawdust or straw, and your ice crop is safely 
harvested. 

2. A large block of ice has been inaile in the house itself, by mak- 
ing a frame of bt)ards in the center, ami gradually tilling it up, so 
that the water freezes solidly each night. Additions in height are 
made to the frame as required, aiul the sawilust is packed aroimd it. 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. iie, 

In this way a solid block of ice, ten feet each way, weighing over 
thirty tons, has been made during the winter by means of a hose 
from a pump. Such a block of ice wastes very little in the summer. 

3. When a supply of water can be had with a little fall, and where 
there is sufficient cold weather, an ice house can be readily filled with 
a solid mass of ice at trifling expense. Arrange a pipe so that the 
watet can be thrown out over the floor of the ice house in the form 
of a fine spray, as from the nose of a watering-pot. This will freeze 
as it falls, quite rapidly in cold weather, and in a brief time a whole 
house can be thus filled with a solid mass. 

Ice Chest — to make. — A box constructed as follows will answer 
very well in lieu of an expensive ice-chest: Take two dry-goods 
boxes, one six inches smaller in each direction than the other. Put 
one inside the other, and pack the space with some non-conducting 
material, such as wood, cotton-seed, planing-mill shavings, charcoal, 
or sawdust. Put slats across the inside box near the top on which 
to rest the ice, and use a bag of sawdust or any other non conducting 
matter for a lid. There should be some provision for drainage from 
the bottom of the box. 

An ice box on a small scale for keeping milk cool through the 
night for children or invalids is easily improvised. Put the milk into 
a crock and over the top set another crock enough smaller than the 
first to sink into it an inch or two. Fill the upper crock with ice, 
cover the top with woolen cloths, and spread a blanket over the 
whole. If more convenient, the milk may be put into a bottle or any 
small vessel and set in the crock. 

Ice — to compute the quantity. — To compute the number of tons 
an ice-house will contain, calculate the number of cubic feet in an 
ice-house, and divide by thirty-five; this gives the number of tons the 
ice-house will contain if it is closely packed. 

Ice Cream. — Have rich, sweet cream and one-half pound loaf 
sugar to each quart of cream or milk. If you cannot get cream, the 
best imitation is to boil a soft custard, six eggs to a quart of milk (eggs 
well beat). Or another is made as follows; Boil one quart of milk, and 
stir into it while boiling one tablespoonful of arrowroot, wet with cold 
milk; when cold stir into it the yolk of one egg to give it a rich color. 
Five minutes boiling is enough for either plan. Put the sugar in after 
they cool. Keep the same proportion for any amount desired. Or 
thus: To six quarts milk add one-half pound Oswego cornstarch, first 
dissolved. Put the starch in one quart of the milk; then mix together 
and simmer a little (not boil), sweeten and flavor to your taste — ex- 
cellent. The juice of strawberries or raspberries give a beautiful 
color and flavor to ice cream; or about one-half ounce essence or ex- 
tract to one gallon, or to suite the taste. Have your ice well broken 
— one quart salt to a bucket of ice. About one-half hour's constant 
stirring, with occasional scraping down and beating together, will 
freeze it. 

Ice Cream (Chicago). — Irish moss soaked in warm water one 



226 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

hour, and rinsed well to cleanse it of sand and a certain foreign taste; 
then steep it in milk, keeping it just at the point of boiling or simmer- 
ing for one hour, or until a rich yellow color is given to the milk; 
without cream or eggs, from one to one and one-half ounce to a gal- 
lon only is necessary, and this will do to steep twice. Sweeten and 
flavor like other creams. 

Ice Cream (Chocoiate). — One generous pint of milk, one cupful of 
sugar, a scant half cupful of flour, two eggs, one quart of cream; 
make the foundation w-ith two eggs, the sugar, flour, and one pint of 
milk; boil the m.ilk, beat the eggs and flour together, and stir this into 
the boiling milk and cook twenty minutes, stirring often. While this 
is cooking scrape one square of chocolate, add two tablespoon fuls of 
sugar, and one of boiling water. Stir this over the fire until it is 
smooth and glossy, then add to the boiling mixture. Set away to 
cool. When cold add another cup of sugar and the quart of cream. 
Freeze the same as other ice cream. The foundation can be used for 
ice cream of any flavor. 

Ice Cream (Tea). — Put half an ounce fine orange flavored tea into 
an earthenware pot and pour on it a pint of boiling milk. Let it 
stand until nearly cold, then pour it off fine, and if necessary, strain 
to free it from any particles of leaf. Put the liquor into a large steAV- 
pan, with enough lump sugar to make it sweet. When it is hot add 
to it a quarter of a pint of rich cream and the yolks of five eggs. Stir 
over a slow fire until it becomes a thick custard, and then take from 
the fire; stir occasionally until it is cool, to prevent a skin forming. 
Freeze in the usual manner. 

Icing — for cake. — It is said that if these directions for icing cake 
are followed, you will have an icing that will neither crumble or 
break off when the cake is cut. Take the whites of six eggs, one-half 
pound of sugar, mix well together; then set the mixture on the fire 
and stir it all the time. As soon as it begins to simmer take it off and 
beat well till thick, then spread it over the cake. 

Imperial Cream Nectar. — i. Take one gallon water, loaf sugar, 
six pounds; tartaric acid, six ounces; gum arable, one ounce. 

2. Flour, four teaspoonfuls; the whites of five eggs; beat finely 
together; then add one-half pint of water; when the first part is blood 
warm, put in the second; boil three minutes, and it is done. 

Dirtctio7is: — Three tablespoonfufs of syrup to two-thirds of a glass 
of water; add one third teaspoonful of carbonate of soda, made fine; 
stir well, and drink at your leisure. 

Important Rules. — i. A suitable place for everything, and every- 
thing in its place. 

2. A proper time for everything, and everything done in its time. 

3. A distinct name for everything, and everything called by its 
name. 

4. A certain use for everything, and everything put to its use. 
Indigestion — relief for. — I have been troubled for years with in- 
digestion, sick headache, and constipation, and have been greatly 



WHA T E I'ER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. ii-j 

helped by dropping all remedies and drinking a coffeecupful of as 
warm water as can be drank comfortably, the first thing on rising and 
just before retiring, always on an empty stomach. It will cause an 
unpleasant feeling at first, but persevere and you will be surprised at 
the benefit received. If the kidneys are at fault, drink water blood 
warm. 

Incontinence of Urine of Old People. — The continued use of one 
to six drops tincture of iodine has proved a successful remedy. For 
other persons, put four drops tincture of aconite root in a tumbler of 
water, and use a teaspoonful every half hour until relieved. 

India Ink Marks — to remove. — There is no method known of re- 
moving India ink markings that have been pricked into the skin, save 
by the process in which they were introduced. The superficial appli- 
cation of any remedy to remove it will be utterly useless. The only 
method that will prove efficacious, is the painful and tedious one of 
pricking the skin as was done when the markings were made, and 
squeezing out the solid particles of coloring matter with the blood. 
If this be done carefully and thoroughly the marks may be removed; 
but in no other way can it be done, except by actually cutting out the 
marked piece of skin. 

Infants' Band — to knit. — An infant's band can be knit of soft 
wool, and knit whole like the leg of a stocking, and can be made so 
as to slip on over the feet, by knitting it in ribs — that is, two stitches 
plain and two purl. They will be elastic, and yet firm, and will fit 
the body closely and comfortably. 

Inflamed Eyes — to cure. — For inflamed eyes use borax, half dram; 
camphor water, three ounces. The above simple prescription is in 
common use by the highest medical authorities. It is good for in- 
flamed eyes. In using it, lean the head back and drop three drops in 
the corner of each, and then open the eyes and let it run in. Use it 
as often as the eyes feel badly. 

Infusion of Roses. — Take any common red-rose leaves (cabbage 
roses are the best), and put them into a china teapot; pour over them 
boiling water in the proportion of a pint of water to one-half ounce of 
rose leaves. When the infusion has stood ten minutes, pour it off and 
leave it to get cold; sweeten with sugar or honey. A wineglassful 
taken occasionally will be found of service in almost all cases of 
female debility. 

Ink (American Commercial). — Take one-quarter pound extract of 
logwood, one gallon clean soft water; heat it to the boiling point in a 
perfectly clean iron kettle; skim well; stir; then add ninety grains of 
bichromate of potash, fifteen grains prussiate of potash, dissolved in 
half a pint of hot water. Stir for three minutes; take off and strain. 

Ink Stains on Books. — To remove ink stains from a book, first 
wash the paper ivith warm water, using a camel's-hair pencil for the 
purpose. By this means the surface ink is got rid of; the paper must 
be wetted with a solution of oxalate of potash, or, better still, oxalic 
acid, in the proportion of one ounce to half a pint of water. The ink 



228 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

stains will immediately disappear. Finally, again wash the stained 
place with clean water, and dry it with white blotting paper. 

Ink — to take out of boards. — To take ink out of boards use strong 
muriatic acid, or spirits of salts, applied with a piece of cloth; after- 
ward wash well. 

Ink (Common Writing) — to make.— " In the recipes generally 
given for making ink, it is recommended to boil the ingredients. This 
is a very serious mistake. It should always be made with cold water. 
By this latter process, more time is of course necessary to make it; 
but then the ink is very superior, and entirely free from extractive 
matter which has no inky quality, and which only tends to clog the 
pen and to turn the ink ropy and mouldy. Take gall-nuts, broken, 
one pound; sulphate of iron, half a pound; gum acacia and sugar 
candy, of each a quarter of a pound; water, three quarts. Place the 
whole of these ingredients in a vessel where they can be agitated 
once a day; after standing for a fortnight or three weeks, the ink is 
ready for use. Logwood and similar materials are often advised to 
be used in conjunction with the gall-nuts; but they serve no good 
purpose, unless it be to make a cheaper article, which fades rapidly. 

Ink-stains on Table-covers and Carpets — to remove. — Take up 
as much of the spilled ink as possible with a spoon and blotting- 
paper; pour cold water on the spot and dry it up with a flannel. If 
any stain remains, wash the place with a solution of oxalic acid or 
salt of sorrel; dry it immediately, and, to preserve the color, rub on a 
little hartshorn. 

Ink (Cheap and Good) — how to make. — Take one-quarter of a 
pound of extract of logwood; one gallon clear, soft water; heat it to 
the boiling point in a perfectly clean iron kettle; skim well, stir, then 
add ninety grains of bichromate of potash, fifteen grains prussiate of 
potash, dissolved in a half pint of hot water; stir well for three min- 
utes; take off and strain. The above will make one gallon of the 
best ink which I have ever used. 

Ink (Indelible) — to remove. — To remove indelible ink, apply a 
strong solution of cyanide of potassium, and rinse well. 

Ink (Gold and Silver) — to make. — Grind gold leaf with white 
honey on a slab of porphyry or glass, with a muller, until it is re- 
duced to an unpalpable powder in a pasty condition; this golden 
honey paste is then diffused in water, which dissolves the honey, and 
the gold falls to the bottom in the form of very fine powder. When 
the honey is all washed away mix the gold powder with gum arable 
mucilage. After using it. allow it to dry on the paper, and then it 
may be made brilliant by burnishing it with an agate burnisher. 
Silver ink is prepared in the same way, by using silver leaf. 

Ink (Green) — Rub three and a half drams Prussian blue, and three 
drams of gamboge, with two ounces of mucilage, and add half a pint 
of water. 

Ink-stains — to remove from the hands. — Indexica4 pumice stone 
soap will instantly remove ink stains from the hands. 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 229 

Ink (Indelible Marking) — One and a half drams of nitrate of sil- 
ver, one ounce of distilled water, half an ounce of strong mucilage of 
gum arable, three quarters of a dram of liquid ammonia. Mix the 
above in a clean glass bottle, cork tightly, and keep in a dark place 
till dissolved, and ever afterward. Directions for use: Shake the bot- 
tle, then dip a clean quill pen in the ink, and write and drav^r what 
you require on the article; immediately hold it close to the fire 
(without scorching), or pass a hot iron over it, and it will become a 
deep and indelible black, indestructible by either time or acids of any 
description. 

Ink (Indelible) — i. Two-fifths of a pound of tartaric acid are dis- 
solved in sixty-one cubic inches hot water; in one-half of the solution 
dissolve one-fifth oily anilin; add the other half, and then one-fifth 
pound chlorate of potassium. Allow the solution to cool and subdue 
until the next day; filter from the bitartrate, and bring the liquid to 
the density of seven degrees B. Thicken sufficiently with gum 
arable, and add to each cubic inch one twenty-fifth pound copper sul- 
phate, dissolved in a little water. This ink may be at once used for 
printing musiin and other fabrics, upon which the black color will be 
perfectly developed by bleaching liquids. Chlorate of copper is also 
used for writing upon zinc used for signs and labels exposed to the 
weather. 

2. An ink that cannot be erased, even with acids, is obtained by 
the following recipe; To good gall ink add a strong solution of fine 
soluble Prussian blue in distilled water. This addition makes the 
ink, and was previously proof against alkalies, equally proof against 
acids, and forms a writing fluid which cannot be erased without 
destruction of the paper. The ink writes greenish blue, but after- 
ward turns black. 

3. Dissolve separately one ounce of nitrate of silver, and one and a 
half ounces of sub-carbonate of soda (best washing soda) in rain wa- 
ter. Mix the solutions, and collect and wash the precipitate in a 
filter, while still moist, rub it up in a marble or hard wood mortar 
with three drams of tartaric acid; add two ounces of rain water, mix 
six drams white sugar, and ten drams of powdered gum arable, half 
an ounce of archil and water to make up six ounces in measure. 

4. Nitrate of silver, five scruples; gum arable, two drams; sap 
green, one scruple; distilled water, one ounce; mix together. Before 
writing on the article to be marked, apply a little of the following: 
Carbonate of soda, one-half ounce; distilled water, four ounces; let 
this last, which is the mordant, %&X. dry, then, with a quill pen, write 
what you require. 

Ink — for writing on linen. — Dissolve nitrate of silver (common 
caustic) in a glass mortar, and in double its weight of pure water. 
This forms the ink for marking linen, and it must be kept in a bottle 
well corked. Before using the ink, the part of the linen to be written 
upon should be saturated with a preparation made of one dram of 
salts of tartar dissolved in one and a half ounces of water, and dried 



230 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

before the fire. The writing should be held to the fire, to bring it up 
quite black. 

Ink (Lithographic). — Venice turpentine, one part; lampblack, two 
parts; hard tallow soap, six parts; mastic in tears, eight parts; shel- 
lac, twelve parts; wax, sixteen parts; melt, stir, and pour it out on 
a slab. 

Ink — -ways to remove from linen. — i. To take ink out of linen, 
dip the ink-spot in pure melted tallow; then wash out the tallow, and 
the ink will come out with it. This is said to be unfailing. 

2. Milk will remove ink from linen or colored muslins, when acids 
would be ruinous. Soak till the spot is very faint, then rub and rinse 
in cold water. 

3. An inkstand was turned over upon a white tablecloth; a servant 
threw over it a mixture of salt and pepper plentifully, and all traces 
of it disappeared. 

4. Rub the spot well with the end of a clean mold candle, leaving 
some of the tallow in lumps upon it for twenty-four hours; then wash 
the article in boiling water, and the ink will disappear. 

5. Take one ounce sal-ammoniac, one ounce salts of tartar, wine- 
bottle of cold soft water. Well mix the above; Avet the linen thor- 
oughly with the mixture, and repeat the process till the spots dis- 
appear. 

Ink-stains — to remove from mahogany tables and other wood. — 
I. Dilute half a teaspoonful of oil of vitriol with a large spoonful of 
water, and carefully touch the ink-spot with a feather; rub it quickly 
off, and repeat the process till the spot disappears. Spirit of salt will 
answer the same purpose, and must be used with equal care, for fear 
of leaving a white mark. 

2, Put a few drops of spirits of nitre in a teaspoonful of water, 
touch the spot with a feather dipped in the mixture, and on the ink 
disappearing, rub it over immediately with a rag wet in cold water, 
or there will be a white mark which will not be easily effaced. 

Ink-stains from Printed Books. — Procure two cents worth of 
oxalic acid, which dissolve in a small quantity of warm water; then 
slightly wet the stain with it, when it will disappear, leaving the leaf 
uninjured. 

Ink (Perpetual). — Pitch, three pounds; melt over the fire, then add 
lamp-black, one pound; mix well. This is used in a melted state to 
fill the letters on tombstones, marbles, etc. Without actual violence, 
it will endure as long as the stone itself. 

Ink Powder. — i. Ink powder that will make good black writing- 
ink by dissolving in cold water, so as to be fit for use in a few hours 
or less: Tannic acid, seven ounces; sulphate of iron (copperas), one 
pound; gum arable, one and one-half pounds; sugar (white), one- 
fourth of a pound. Powder as finely as possible; rub all together, 
adding a few drops of clove oil. 

2. Reduce to powder ten ounces of gall nuts, three ounces of green 
copperas, two ounces each of powdered alum and gum arable. Put 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. i^-i. 

a little of this mixture into white wine, and it will be fit for immedi- 
ate use. 

Ink (Red Writing). — Best ground Brazilwood, four ounces; dilut- 
ed acetic acid, one pint; alum, one-half ounce. Boil them slowly in 
a covered tinned copper or enameled saucepan for one hour, and add 
one ounce of gum. 

Ink (Red) — for 'inen. — Take one-half ounce of vermilion and one 
dram of salt of steel; let them be levigated with linseed oil to the 
consistency required. 

Ink for Writing on Steel. — Sulphate of copper, water and sul- 
phuric acid. Dissolve sulphate of copper in water, so as to. make a 
liquid like ink; add a little sulphuric acid, and use for writing a quill 
pen. With this ink copper letters may be formed on iron or steel. 

Ink (Sympathetic or Secret). — The solutions used should be so 
nearly colorless that the writing cannot be seen till the agent is ap- 
plied to render it visible. Boil oxide of cobalt in acetic acid. If a 
common salt be added, the wilting becomes green when heated; but 
with nitre it becomes a pale rose color. By using a weak solution of 
sulphate of copper, the writing becomes blue when exposed to the 
vapor of ammonia. 

Ink Stains — to remove. — i. When fresh done and wet, hasten to 
provide some cold water, an empty cup and a spoon. Pour a little 
of the water on the stain, not having touched it previously with any- 
thing. The water, of course, dilutes the ink and lessens the mark; 
then ladle it up into the empty cup. Continue pouring the clean 
water on the stain and ladling it up, until there is not the slightest 
mark left. No matter how great the quantity of ink spilled, patience 
and perseverance will remove every indication of it. To remove a 
dry ink stain, dip the part stained into hot milk, and gently rub it; 
repeat until no sign is left. This is an unfailing remedy. 

2. Oxalic acid is used for removing ink and rust stains and remnants 
of mud stains which do not yield to other detergents. It may also 
be used for destroying the stains of fruits and astringent juices, and 
old stains of urine. However, its use is limited to white goods, as it 
attacks fugitive colors, and even light shades of those reputed to be 
fast. The best method of applying it is to dissolve it in cold or luke- 
warm water, to let it remain a moment upon the spot, and then to 
rub it with the fingers. 

3. Coal oil will take out ink stains, even after they have been 
washed with soap. Pour on the oil, and rub the spot in the hands; 
if it does not remove it by the first application, try more, the second 
application will remove it entirely. 

4. As soon as the accident happens, wet the place with juice of 
sorrel or lemon, or with vinegar, and the best hard white soap. 

Ink (Ticketing) — for grocers' use. — Dissolve one ounce of gum 
arable in six ounces of water, and strain; this is the mucilage. For 
black, use drop black, powdered and ground with the mucilage to ex- 
treme fineness; for blue, ultramarine is used in the same manner; 



232 WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

fur green, emerald green; for white, flake white; for red, vermilion, 
lalcc, or carmine; for yellow, chrome yellow. When ground too 
thick ihcy are thinned with a little water. Apply with a small brush. 
The cards may be sized with a thin glue and afterwards varnished, if 
it is desired to preserve them. 

Ink (Invisible) — ways to make). — Put litharge of lead into very 
strong vinegar, and let it stand twenty-four hours; strain it off, and 
let it remain till quite settled; then put the liquor in a bottle. Next 
dissolve orpiment in quicklime-water, by setting the water in the sun 
for two or three days, turning it five or six times a day. Keep the 
bottle containing this liquor well corked, as the vapor is highly per- 
nicious if received into the mouth. Write what you wish with a pen 
dipped in the first liquor, and, to make it visible, expose it to the 
vapor of the second liquid. If you wish the writing to disappear 
again, draw a sponge or pencil dipped in aquafortis or spirit of nitre 
over the paper; and should you wish it to reappear, let the paper be 
quite dry, after which pass the solution of orpiment over it. 

2. The most curious of all kinds of invisible inks is that from 
cobalt. It is a very lemarkable phenomenon that the figures traced 
out with this ink may be made to disappear and reappear at pleasure. 
To prepare this ink, take zaffre, and dissolve it in nitro-muriatic acid, 
till the acid extracts from it the metallic part of the cobalt which com- 
municates to the zaffre its blue color; then dilute the solution, which 
is very acrid, with conmion water; if you write with the liquor on 
paper, the characters will be invisible; but when exposed to a suffi- 
cient degree of heat they will become green. When the paper has 
cooled they will disappear, but by warmth they may be made to ap- 
pear again. Observe, if the paper be too much heated they will not 
disapper at all. 

Ink (Yello'w). — Gamboge triturated with water, and a little alum 
added. 

Ink Stains and Iron Rust — to remove. — Oxalic acid dissolved in 
water will remove ink stains and iron rust. Articles must be thor- 
oughly rinsed after the stains are removed. The acid should be ap- 
plied and then the garment laid in the sun. Repeated applications 
may be necessary. 

Ink Spots — to remove. — To remove iron rust or ink spots, moist- 
en the spots and apply salts of lemon until they disappear, and then 
rinse well. Salts of lemon are made of equal parts of oxalic acid and 
tartaric acid. Another way is to moisten with lemon juice, sprinkle 
well with salt, and lay in the sun. If ink is spilled on colored goods 
that will \\o\. bear acids, soak them immediately in sweet milk boiling 
hot. Hot melted tallow poured through ink spots will also remove 
them. 

Iiik Stains — to remove from silver. — The tops and other portions 
of silver inkstands frecjucntly become deeply discolored with ink, 
which is difficult to remove by ordinary means. It may, however, 
be completely eradicated by making a little chloride of, lime into a 



IVHA T E VER V ONE SIIO ULD KNO W. '233 

paste with water, and rubbing it upon the stains. Chloride of lime 
has been misnamed " The general bleacher," but it is a foul enemy 
to all metallic surfaces. 

Inlaid Mother of Pearl Work. — i. Inlaid mother of pearl work, on 
sewing machines and other fancy work, is performed by selecting the 
thin scales of the shell and cementing them to the surface of the ma- 
terial; the rest of the surface is covered with successive coats of 
japan varnish, generally black, being subjected to a baking process 
after each application. When the varnish is as thick as the shell, it 
is polished, the gilding and painting added, and a flowing coat of 
varnish put over the whole. 

2. Prepare the job with a heavy coat of black japan, then, before 
it is dry, procure flakes of pearl and lay them on the black surface, 
pressing them into the japan until they are level with the surface; 
then with colors from vines and flowers, allowing the pearl to form 
the body of the flower leaf, and shade up all nicely. 

Insects on Plants — to destroy. — Insects are a very serious draw- 
back to healthy and vigorous plants, and a most vigilant watch 
should at all times be set for them ; but, in spite of all our care, they 
will appear and increase with such rapidity that no time should be 
lost in destroying them. No plants, however, should be taken into 
the house until thoroughly cleansed. Cultivated plants seem to fur- 
nish food for several different species of insects, and the treatment 
necessary to destroy one form will not answer for another. The 
black or green fly, or aphis, arc always the most numerous, and are 
first seen on the new growth of houseplants ; but in an amazingly 
short time spread to the older leaves, especially to the soft wooded 
ones, as well as flowers, absorbi ig the juice and vitality of the plant. 
It is easy enough to fumigate a greenhouse, to destroy insects, which, 
of coarse, could not be done in our dwellings, and many plans have 
been recommended. One says, sprinkle Scotch snuff on the foliage 
and let it remain two or three days; another says, a weak solution of 
carbolic acid, applied with a swab or feather; and still another says, 
take a little coal oil — just enough to make a colored scum on the sur- 
face of a tub of water — and dip the inverted plant into it, 'net allow- 
ing the pot to touch it. Others recommended hot water, and we have 
found that 10 be the least objectionable. Our plan is to dip the i)lant 
in a tub of water that will register one hundred and twenty degrees 
with a thermometer, repeating it the following day. Of course, the 
plant must not remain in the hot v/ater, as it would be soon cooked. 
To destroy the green fly in greenhouses or conservatories, the most 
approved method is fumigating, which is done by placing on a pan of 
live coals a quantity of damp tobacco stems, filling the house with a 
dense smoke and keeping it closed until morning; but, as heliotropes, 
etc., are liable to be injured by smoke, spread paper over the plants 
while fumigating. It is better, however, to fumigate two or three 
nights in succession than to rijk too dense smoke. But the most 
destructive and least known insect is the red spider. It is too small 



234 ^^A T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

to be readily seen; but its presence is easily detected by gray or yel- 
lowish spots on the apparently dying leaves. The little insect lives 
upon the under side of the leaf; and not only absorbs its vitality, but 
weaves a fine web, which closes the pores through which the plant 
breathes. They delight in a hot, dry atmosphere, just such a one as 
our sitting-room affords; but are readily destroyed by syringing the 
plant often with clear, warm water, or a good bath in the tub, and 
then sprinkle with sulphur. But if small plates of bright tin or glass, 
with a little sulphur on them, are placed under the plants, in the full 
rays of the sun, no red spiders will trouble them, as the sulphur fumes 
kill them. A weak solution of whale oil soap is excellent; but it must 
be very weak, or it would not only kill the foliage, but the plant also. 
The mealy bug is also very destructive to hot-house plants; but is 
really the easiest to exterminate of any in this list. They are a large, 
white, woolly looking lump in the axil of the leaf, and are easily kept 
down by frequent syringing with warm, greasy water, to which a 
little sulphur should be added. But, if full grown, they should be 
picked off by hand or a small, sharp-pointed stick. 

For worms at the roots of plants an application of a weak solution 
of carbolic acid, applied quite frequently to the earth, is said to be a 
sure cure. Another good plan to kill them is to use water with lime 
dissolved in it for watering the plants. It also aids the soil in stimu- 
lating the growth. But probably the safest plan is to carefully shake 
all the earth from the roots, and, after a thorough watering with 
warm water, repot in fresh earth. But, for fear of a like trouble 
again in a short time, a good plan is to subject the required amount 
of earth to a strong heat, by placing it in an old pan in a stove-oven, 
until all insects as well as eggs are destroyed. 

And now we come to the least known, least understood, and appar- 
ently the most insignificant insect; but which in reality is the great- 
est scourge in the whole list. They are the scales {Coccidic), various 
species, and infest cactus, oleanders, camellias, ficus and tropical ferns. 
Like all other insects, they increase and spread with great rapidity, 
covering the woody stem and leaves in a short time; and, as they 
are so small and so near the color of the plant on which they feed, 
they usually get a good start before being seen. A weak solution of 
whale oil soap is the usual remedy; but the best remedy we ever«^ 
tried is a boy with a pan of warm water and a stiff tooth-brush. 

Insects — to destroy. — i. To destroy the little bugs on the oleander, 
take a piece of lime about the size of a hen's eg,g, and dissolve it in 
about two quarts of water. Wash the stock and branches of the tree 
with this water. Slugs are occasionally seen eating large holes or 
notches in the leaves of all succulents and begonias. They usually 
feed during the night. Cut potatoes, turnips, or some other fleshy 
vegetables in halves, and place conveniently near the plants. The 
slugs will gather upon the vegetables and are easily destroyed. 

2. When bugs have obtained a lodgment in walls or timber, the 
surest mode of overcoming the nuisance is to putty up every hole 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 235 

that is moderately large, and oil-paint the whole wall or timber. In 
bed-furniture, a mixture of soft soap with snuff or arsenic is useful 
to fill up the holes where the bolts or fastenings are fixed, etc. French 
polish may be applied to the smoother parts of the wood. 

3. Kerosene oil may be used for destroying insects on plants by 
taking a tablespoonful of oil and mixing it with half a cupful of 
milk, and then diluting the mixture with two gallons of water. Ap- 
ply the liquid with a syringe, and afterward rinse with clear water. 
This substance is death to plant insects, and we have never heard of 
its injuring the most delicate plants when used as here directed. 

Insect Destroyers. — i. Hot alum water is the best insect destroyer 
known. Put alum into hot water and boil until dissolved, then apply 
hot water with a brush to all cracks, closets, bedsteads and other 
places where insects maybe found. Ants, bedbugs, cockroaches and 
other creeping things are killed. 

2. It is said that common sulphur will kill or drive away the little 
fish-shaped, silvery pest which infects our pantry. Sprinkle the sul- 
phur freely about, and the place will soon be cleared of the vermin. 

3. A solution of cyanide of potassium is the best poison to kill in- 
sects of any kind. 

Insect Bites— to cure. — Insect bites, and even that of a rattle- 
snake, have proved harmless by stirring enough common salt inta 
the yolk of a good ^g% to make it sufficiently thin for a plaster, to be 
kept on the bitten part. 

Insomnia. — A little English work, " Sleep and How to Obtain it," 
says that insomnia is not so dangerous as is commonly supposed, for 
the author knows an eminent man of letters who has suffered from it 
for many years without injury. When a man begins to dream of his 
work he may know that he is under too great a mental strain. The 
author's plan of inducing sleep is to reckon up friends and acquaint- 
ances whose name begins with a certain letter. 

Intermittent Fever and Salt. — Take a handful of table-salt and 
roast in a clean oven with moderate heat till it is brown-— the color of 
roasted coffee. Dose for an adult: A spoonful dissolved in a glass 
of warm water; take at once. When the fever appears at intervals 
at two, three or four days, the remedy should be taken fasting on the 
morning of the day following the fever. To overcome the thirst, a 
very little water should be taken through a straw. During the forty- 
eight hours which follow the taking of the salt, the appetite should be 
satisfied with chicken and beef broth only; it is especially necessary 
to observe a severe diet and avoid taking cold. The remedy is very 
simple and harmless and has never been known to fail where it has 
been given trial. 

Interest Rules. — For four per cent., multiply the principal by the 
number of days to run; separate the right hand figure from product, 
and divide by nine. 

For five per cent., multiply. by number of davs, and divide by sev- 
enty-two. 



236 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO IV, 

For six per cent., multipy by number of days; separate right hand 
figure, and divide by six. 

For seven and three-tenths per cent., multiply by number of days, 
and double the amount so obtained. On one hundred dollars the in- 
terest is just two cents per day. 

For eight per cent., multiply by number of days, and divide by 
forty-five. 

For nine per cent., multiply by number of days; separate right 
hand figure, and divide by four. 

For ten per cent., multiply by number of days, and divide by 
thirty-six. 

For twelve per cent., multiply by number of days; separate right 
hand figure, and divide by three. 

For fifteen per cent., multiply by number of days, and divide by 
twenty-four. 

For eighteen per cent., multiply by number of days; separate right 
hand figure, and divide by two. 

For twenty per cent., multiply by number of days, and divide by 
eighteen. 

Irish Moss for Colds. — Take one ounce of the moss, wash it well 
twice in boiling water, pour a little cold water on it, and let it stand 
all night; the next day add to it one quart of fresh milk, a little lemon 
peel, and two blades of mace; boil all slowly until the milk is thick; 
put loaf sugar in a basin, and strain the milk on it. It should be 
stirred while boiling to prevent the moss settling on the bottom of 
the saucepan. 

Iron Holders. — To make excellent iron holders, and at the same 
time utilize the tops of a pair of worn-out boots, cut the leather into 
squares and cover two or three thicknesses of it with some suitable 
material, whipping it closely in place. Over all put a covering of 
nice white cloth, and as often as necessary remove the outside cover- 
ing and replace with a fresh one. 

Ironing Hints. — If you would lessen the work of ironing fold your 
clothes the night before, and lay them upon a table piled on one an- 
other, covering with an ironing-blanket, and they will be much 
smoother; sprinkle them in the morning, roll them up tight until you 
are ready to iron them, and the work, will be a pastime. Some washer 
women, after taking them from the line, throw them into a basket 
helter-skelter, all crumpled up, wrinkled and harder to iron. 

Ironing Directions. — To iron smoothly, purchase a few cents' 
worth of beeswax, and rub it over the leaves of thin pamphlet, which 
have been heated through with the flatiron. Keep it with the iron- 
ing-sheet and blanket, and when the flatirons are to be used rub them 
over the wax surface; then wipe gently on a soft cloth. Shirt bosoms 
can be easily ironed in this manner. 

Iron Stains — to remove. — Iron rust can be taken out by wetting 
the spot, stretching the linen over a plate placed over a basin of 
boiling water, and touching the place with salts of lemon; keeping 



WI/A T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W lyj 

the place very hot. As soon as the stain is removed, wash in a good 
deal of hot water. 

Iron — to make take a bright polish like steel. — Pulverize and 
dissolve the following articles in one quart of hot water: Blue 
vitriol, one ounce; borax, one ounce; prussiate of potash, one ounce; 
charcoal, one ounce; salt, one-half pint; then add one gallon of lin- 
seed oil, mix well, bring your iron or steel to the proper heat and 
cool in the solution. 

Iron (Chilled) — to turn. — At Lister's Works some articles required 
turning in the lathe, and cast steel could not be made hard enough to 
cut them. One man proposed cast metal tools. He was laughed at, 
of course, but his plan had to be tried. Well, cast metal tools were 
tried, with points chilled, and they cut when cast steel tools were of 
no use. The article was turned up with metal tools. 

Iron or Steel — to clean. — Make a paste of two ounces of soft soap 
and four of emery powder — that is, two ounces of coarse emery 
powder and two of fine. Put this paste on fire irons, fenders, etc., 
and afterward rub off with dry wash leather. Some people use cro- 
cus powder moistened with sweet oil. This is best for polished 
steel. 

Iron (Cast) — to drill holes in. — By means of carbolic acid a hole 
one-fourth of an inch in diameter has been drilled through one-half 
inch thickness of cast iron with a common carpenter's brace; judge, 
then, what can be done by using the acid and pressure drill. 

Iron — for fruit trees. — The scales which fly off from iron being 
worked at forges, iron trimming, filings, or other ferruginous ma- 
terial, if worked into the soil about fruit trees, or the more minute 
particles spread thinly on the lawn, mixed with the earth of flower 
beds or in pots, are most valuable to the peach and pear, and, in fact, 
supply necessary ingredients to the soil. For colored flowers they 
heighten the bloom and increase the brilliancy of white or nearly 
white flowers of all the rose family. 

Iron Kettle (New) — to prepare for use. — The best way to prepare 
a new iron kettle for use is to fill it with clean potato parings; boil 
them for an hour or more, then wash the kettle with hot water, v/ipe it 
dry, and rub it with a little lard; repeat the rubbing for half a dozen 
times after using. In this way you will prevent rust and all the an- 
noyances liable to occur in the use of a new kettle. 

Iron (Malleable) — to soften. — When your furnace is charged with 
fuel and metal, get the fire up to a dull, red heat, then pour fluoric 
acid all over the coke; use one-half pint to one pint, or even one 
quart, adding a handful of fluor spar; it will make the metal much 
softer. 

Irons — to preserve from rust. — Melt fresh mutton suet, and when 
through ironing, smear the irons over with it while hot; then dust 
it well with unslaked lime powdered and tied up in muslin. When 
not used, wrap the irons in baize, and keep them in a dry place. 
Use no oil on them at any time except salad oil. 



238 IVHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD A'lVO IV. 

Iron Rust from White Goods. — One ounce of oxalic acid dissolved 
in one quart of water. Wet the iron-rust spots in this solution and 
lay in the hot sun; the rust will disappear in from three to twenty 
minutes, according to its depth. I have just experimented by hold- 
ing a rusted cloth, wet in this solution, over the steam of a boiling 
teakettle, and the rust disappeared almost instantly. In either case 
the cloth should be well rinsed in water as soon as the rust disappears, 
to prevent injury from the acid. Many use this acid to remove fruit 
and ink stains from white fabrics. When diluted still more, it may 
be used to remove fruit or ink stains from the hands. 

Iron Mold — to remove — Dr. Thompson recommends that the part 
stained should be remoistened with ink, and this removed by the use 
of muriatic acid diluted with five or six times its weight of water, 
Avhen it will be found that the old and new stain will be removed sim- 
ultaneously. 

Iron — to prevent rusting. — Give it a coat of linseed oil and whit- 
ing, mixed together in the form of a paste. It is easily removed and 
will preserve iron from rusting for years. 

Iron or Steel — to soften. — Either of the following methods will 
make iron or steel very soft: 

1. Anoint it all over with tallow, temper it in a gentle charcoal fire, 
and let it cool of itself. 

2. Take a little clay, cover your iron with it, temper in a charcoal 
fire. 

3. When the iron or steel is red hot, strew hellebore on it. 

4. Quench the iron or steel in the juice or water of common beans. 
Iron (Poor) — to improve. — Black oxide of manganese, one part; 

copperas and common salt, four parts each; dissolve in soft water, 
and boil till dry; when cool, pulverize, and mix quite freely with nice 
welding sand. W^hen you have poor iron which you cannot afford 
to throw away, heat it, and roll it in this mixture; working for a time, 
reheating, etc., will soon free it from all impurities, which is the 
cause of its rottenness. By this process you can make good horse 
nails out of common iron. 

Iron (Cast) — to case-harden. — Cast iron may be case-hardened by 
heating to a red heat, and then rolling it in a composition composed 
of equal parts of prussiate of potash, sal-ammoniac, and saltpeter, all 
pulverized and thoroughly mixed. This must be got to every part of 
the surface; then plunged, while yet hot, into a bath containing two 
ounces prussiate of potash, and four ounces sal-ammoniac to each 
gallon of cold water. 

Iron (Malleable) — to case-harden. — Put the articles in an iron 
box, and stratify them among animal carbon — that is, pieces of horns, 
hoofs, skins, or leather, just sufficiently burned to be reduced to 
powder. Lute the box with equal parts of sand and clay; then place 
it in the fire, and keep at a light red heat for a length of time propor- 
tioned to the depth of steel required, when the contents of the box 
are emptied into water. 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 239 

Iron (Wrought) — to case-harden. — Take prussiate of potash, finely 
pulverized, and roll the article in it, if its shape admits of it; if not, 
sprinkle the powder upon it freely, while the iron is hot. 

Iron Wire — to tin. — A new process for tinned iron wire consists 
in first immersing it in a bath of muriatic acid in which a piece of 
zinc is suspended. After the acid has produced a nev/ surface on the 
wire, it is placed in communication with a sheet of zinc in a bath of 
two parts acetic acid in one hundred parts water, to which three parts 
chloride of tin and three parts soda are added. The wire is allowed 
to remain two hours in this mixture, after which it may be polished. 

Isinglass — to test. — The best isinglass is made from the air-blad- 
ders of the sturgeon, and is imported from Russia, where that fish 
largely abounds. It is a very expensive article, and, on this account, 
much deception is practiced respecting it. A substance called gela- 
tine, very inferior in point of value, is most frequently substituted for 
it. To determine the purity of isinglass, place a few threads of it in 
cold water, a few more in boiling water, and, again, a few in vinegar. 
In cold water, pure isinglass swells and becomes soft, white, and 
opaque; gelatine, on the contrary, is transparent and glass-like. In 
hot water, isinglass is dissolved with little or no residuum; gelatine 
leaves a considerable deposit. In vinegar, isinglass swells up into a 
jelly, and all trace of its structure is soon destroyed; while gelatine 
hardens, and retains its form. 

Isinglass Glue. — One ounce of isinglass, gin, or spirits of wine. 
Dissolve the isinglass near the fire, in the gin or spirits of wine, in a 
small vial; when required for use to mend broken glass, etc., set the 
vial in warm water till the contents melt, and apply the glue to the 
edges of the broken piece with a camel's-hair brush. 

Itch — to cure. — To cure a horse affected with itch, first reduce his 
daily allowance of food, putting him on low diet and then give him a 
teaspoonful of a mixture of equal parts of sulphur and antimony, and 
at the end of a week or ten days the sores will have disappeared, and 
the horse will be covered with a fine coat of new hair. 

Ivory (Artificial). — The inventor, Mr. Marquardt, dissolves two 
pounds of pure rubber in thirty-two pounds of chloroform, and 
hereupon saturates the solution with a current of ammonia 
gas. When the rubber has been completely bleached, the ad- 
mission of the gas is interrupted, and the mass is transferred into 
a vessel provided with a stirrer, in which it is washed with 
hot water until the bleaching agent has been entirely removed. 
During this operation, the temperature may be increased to one hun- 
dred and fifty-eight degrees Fahrenheit, in order to evaporate the 
chloroform, which, by conducting it into an apparatus of condensa- 
tion, may again be made use of. The remaining product forms a 
kind of froth, which, being pressed out, dried, and again treated with 
a small quantity of chloroform, is finally obtained as a consistent 
paste. The paste is now mixed with a sufficient quantity of finely 
pulverized phosphate of lime, or carbonate of zinc, until it assumes 



a.[0 IVI/AT ETEKY ONE SHOirU) KXOir. 

the appc.'xranrr of nutist M»>ur. In this cotuHlioii it is pressed iu hot 
nu»l(ls, which it leaves sutheietitly haul U> be turt\ed, planed, filed, 
atul bi>ieil. In order (o in\ita(e eorals, peat Is, ettaixiels, hard wooils, 
etv ., it is tMily necessary lo mix the paste with the desireil coKus pre- 
viously t*> its heiim" ee»nipressevl. 

Ivory Ornaiucnts — to clean. — To cleati ivot v ot viainents. rub ihetn 
well with tush buUer — i. e.. withmit salt — atul pui tluMn in the sun- 
shine. Discolored ivory i\iay be whitetietl by rnbbini; it with a p.'istc 
Mnnposed ot' burned inu\uce stone atul water, and then place it ni\der 
glass in the sun. 

Iw. J Etching; Fluid. -Take dilute snlpluiric aciil. dilute nnniatic 
acid, eipial patts; tui\. l'\>r etchitig vatnish t.ike white wax, two 
parts; tears of tnastic. two parts; tnix. 

Ivory to gild. liunuMse it it\ a solution of tiilro-nniriate of i;oUl, 
and then expose it to hydrogen gas while «,l;vmp. W.ish it afterward 
iti «,U\\n w.Uet . 

Ivory— to polish. — Remove atiy scr;itchcs or tile marks that may 
be presetit with finely pulverized [Uitnice stone, n\oistetied with water. 
Then wash the ivmy atul polish with prepareil chalk, applied moist 
upon a piece of cham(>is leather, rubbing quickly. 

Ivory to silver. Toutul a stu.Ul piece o{ ttitt.atc of silver in a 
mott.it, .uld stilt water to it, mix thetn well t(\i;ether, ivnd keep in vial 
for use. When y<ni wish to sih et .any atticle, iinnu vse it in this 
solutiiMi. let it temain till it turns i>f a ileep yellow j then place it in 
Clearwater, and expose it \o the fays i>f the sun. If yvui wish to 
ilepiituie a ttgure, name or cipher iM\ your ivory, dip a cauu^l's-hair 
pencil in the solution, atul draw the subject v>n the ivv>ry. After it ha? 
tut tied a deep yellow, w.ish it well with water, and place it it\ the 
sunshine, occasion;illy wetting It with pute water. In a short time 
it will tuii\ of a ileep black coU>r, which, if well rubbed, will chanjfc 
to .1 bt illiant silver. 

Ivory — to soften, dn thtee ounces spirits of niter atid (iflecn 
oui\ces t>f spring water, mixeil togx^thcr, put your ivory lo soak, and 
it\ tliKH' ov fourd.ivs tt will obey your fingers. 

Ivory to whiten. Slake some lime it» water, put your ivory in 
the water, atter being decatited from the vitoutuls; boil it till it looks 
quite white. 'Vo polish it afterwatd, set it in the turner's wheel; 
ami, after having workeil, take brushes at\d pumiiv-stones, subtle 
pvnvder, with water, rub it till it lov>ks perfectly smooth. Next to 
that, heat it by turning it against a piece of UtUM\t>r sheep-skin leather, 
atul when hot, tub it iner with a little dty whiting diluted in oil of 
olive; then with a little tliy wliiting aloiu\ titu\lly with a piece of 
sv^ft white tavj. When .ill this is \HM(ormed as directed, the ivory will 
look vciv white- 
Ivory to bleach. r.ikc two h.mdfuls of lime, shake it by sprink- 
ling it with water; then add three pints of water, aiul slit the whole 
tv^gether; let it settle ten minutes, atul pour the water into a pan for 
your purpose. Then lake your ivory and sleep it in the lime-water 



Willi' I'.ri'.UV (t/VK SIIOUIJ) KNOW. .\,\\ 

for I w<Mily-foiii' Imiiifi, ;i(l(i wliif li, l>oil it, in u slionp, njiiriivv.ilrr 
'•nr 'loiir, Jind dry il in (lie ;iii. 

Ivy (Enf^lish) treatment of.- I Im^ iihc <*( ilic ICn^liMh ivy r.uinoi 
!)(• I()(i Hiron^ly rccoinincndrd aM !i drcorulion in otir roornH diirin^Mlir 
winirr scdson. A liidy noted for tin? Iicanly .'ind frcHJmcHH of Ixi' 
ivirs w;is fiMl<cd llic h(m ict of li«r Hii<;<rHK, wlii< li WfiH !. imply pnititij/ a 
small |)i(Tc of brrfstraU al llir ro«>lH of (he |>lantH every Hprin^ and 
fall. Il is also Haid llial lo lifditly rul> eat li leaf (mi holli KJde.s with 
sweet oil will prc-serve a (leftli, vi^oroiiH a|>|)eaian(e of ivi«'H, in npilr 
of fiiriKKe heal and ^as, iiscjally so iniurions to all house plants. 
riu*H<! Mimple meaMiireH ar<: well woilh liyin^^. 

Ivy Poisnninjf cure for.- Hallux the paiis alien <l wiili 'weci 
s|)ii its of nilei . If the bliHlrrH am hrokrn ho that the tiiu i he allowed 
to p<-neltal«; the ( iiti( le, more tlian u Hinj^h- appli( alion is rai<-ly net .. 
CHHary, and even whertr it iw only a|)pli<-d lo Ihe siiifat c of (he skin 
three «»r four limes a day, Iheie is rarely a Irate t)f ihe poison left 
next morniii),;. 

Jamaica Rum, — I'nrc Hpirils, one ^.^allon; one fjiiart t)f ihe kind lA 
r\\\\\ you wish li> imitate, onc-cigiiLh ounce t>il of t ;ii;iw;iv i's enr.iich 
ft>r Mix galloiiH. Color to tttilt. 

Jam (Raspberry).- -Allow a i)t)und of sugai lo a jitauid of liuit, 
ina .1) Ihe lasplxiries, anti put them, willi the siif/ar, into your 
pieservin^ kellle. |it)il il slowly fi>r an ht»ur, skimmin)^ it well. 
'I it" it up with hrantjy pajx-r. All j.'ims arc; matle in the .same 
manner. 

Jars to cleanse the inside of. I hi; tan he thxit- in a few min- 
utes hy Idling the jars with hot water (il nerd not he st altlin^ li"l), 
anti then stirrin){ in a leaspt>onful t>r more of hakin^ stida. Shakt; 
wtlj, then <Mnply the jar at onee, and if any t<f tht! ft»rmer t)t|t)r re- 
mains ahout, il, fill aj^uiti with waler ;ind ".'ida, shaJce vvtil, and rinv;e 
out in colt] water. 

Jars coverinjjf for. A j^ootj waiei proof paper for t f>verinj.; jars 
usetl in pl(■^;el viii)^, 'Il ., may h<: made hy hriishinfj (jvrr Ihe paper 
will) hoiled liiiseetl oil, ,-ind snspentlinj', it over a line m)lil t|ry. 

Ja])anniiif( for old tr.-iys. I'irst (lean the old trays Ihoiou^-hly 
with st)ap and water and w. liitle rottt-n-sttMie, then dry Iheni hy wip- 
in^j; and exposure at the lire; next, get st)me gt»ot| copal varidsh, mix 
il with Home hrotize pi>w.(ler, anti a[)|)ly Ihin with a hri/.sh lo the de- 
luideij parts; afler vvhi'li, wV the Irays in an oven at a heat of r.vo 
huntjretl ami Iwdve iiegrecM tn' Ihree liimdr<;d degrees, until ihe 
varidsh is tli y, Twti t (,»als will make ^Ai\ trayH cpial to new, 

Japanese Lac quer. — Japanese lactpier 1h niade as ftdlov/M: M'dt 
(diy pounds t)f Naples as])haM.um and eight ptn/ndH iA dark gum 
aidme; h(*il foi al>out two hour.s in twelve gulltjuH ai lini4ccd t;iJ; add 
thi.s to the other, anil atld tlryers. l>oil f<jr ahout two hours; ';i until 
the masH, when ctjoled, may he rolltnl into little ptdlets. Withdraw 
the heat, und thin (h^wn with thirty j^alions of liup'-nline. \)\\\\\\\i 



242 WHA T E VER V ONE SHOULD KNO W. 

the boiling the mass must be constantly stirred to prevent boiling 
ov^er. 

Japan Driers (Several). — i. Take linseed oil, one gallon; put into it 
gum shellac, three-quarters of a pound; litharge and burned Turkey 
umber, each one-half pound; red lead, one-half pound; sugar of lead, 
nine ounces. Boil in the oil till all are dissolved, which will require 
about four hours; remove from the fire, and stir in spirits of turpen- 
tine, one gallon, and it is done. 

2. Linseed oil, five gallons; add red lead and litharge each, three 
and a half pounds; raw umber, one and a quarter pounds; sugar of 
lead and sulphate of zinc, each one-half pound; pulverize all the arti- 
cles together, and boil in the oil till dissolved; when a little cool, thin 
with turpentine, six gallons. 

3. Linseed oil, four gallons; red lead and umber, of each, eight 
ounces; sulphate of zinc, four ounces; sugar of lead, four ounces. 
Boil until it will scorch a feather, when it is ready for use. 

4. Nut or linseed oil, one gallon; litharge, twelve ounces; sugar of 
lead and white vitriol, of each, one ounce; simmer and skim until a 
pellicle forms; cool, and when settled, decant the clear. 

5. Oil, one gallon; litharge, twelve to sixteen ounces; as last. 

6. Old nut or linseed oil, one pint; litharge, three ounces; mix. 
Agitate occasionally for ten days, then decant the clear. 

7. Nut oil and water, of each, two pounds; white vitriol, two 
ounces; boil to dryness. 

8. Mix oil with powdered snow or ice, and keep it for two months 
without thawing. 

Jaundice — to cure. — Red iodide of mercury, seven grains; iodide 
of potassium, nine grains; distilled water, one ounce; mix. Com- 
mence by giving six drops three or four times a day, increasing one 
drop a day until twelve or fifteen drops are given at a dose. Give in 
a little water, immediately after meals. If it causes a griping sensa- 
tion in the bowels, and fullness in the head, when you get up to 
twelve or fifteen drops, go back to six drops, and up again as before. 

Javelle Water — to make. — Take two pounds washing soda and 
two pounds chloride of lime, place them in a hot stone jar, and pour 
over them two gallons of boiling water, then place over it a thick 
cloth and a board with a stone upon it. Let it stand twenty- 
four hours, stirring two or three times. When quite clear, strain it 
through bed-ticking or thick flannel, rinsing out immediately to save 
the cloth. Then bottle for future use. 

Javelle Water — uses of. — Javelle water is excellent to remove 
fruit and vegetable stains, and perhaps some others, but avails noth- 
ing with ink and iron rust. It is intensely alkaline, and therefore it 
affects acids principally. A half pint in three or four pails of boiling 
water will whiten tablecloths beautifully. Any small article that is 
to be thoroughly treated should be washed and boiled first, then it 
may be dipped in the javelle water; let it stand three or more min- 
utes, watching it very closely, and removing it the moment the stain 



IVITA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W, 243 

disappears. If there is yet a faint outline of the stain, that will often 
come out in the subsequent treatment. Do not let the fabric be in 
more than two minutes, as there is risk of disorganizing it. Then 
throw it into the hot water; let it stand a few minutes; rinse thor- 
oughly in two or three waters, and hang- to dry in the sun. Do not 
let a drop of it fall upon colored cloth, and if it falls upon any dry 
:loth, wash out immediately or it may eat a hole. Do not keep the 
hands in it long, say half an hour, or it will remove the cuticle. 

Jelly — (Old-fashioned Apple). — Take twenty large juicy apples, 
pare and chop; put into a jar with the rind (yellow part) of four large 
lemons pared thin and cut in bits; cover the jar closely and set in a 
pot of boiling water; keep the water boiling all around it until the 
apples are dissolved; strain through a jelly bag, and mix with the 
liquid the juice of the four lemons; to one pint of mixed juice one 
pound of sugar; put in the kettle, and when the sugar is melted set it 
on the fire, and boil and skim about twenty minutes, or until It is a 
thick, fine jelly. 

Jelly — (Crab Apple). — Cut out the eyes and stalks of the apples; 
halve them and put in a preserving kettle with enough water to pre- 
vent burning. Cook until soft; then strain through a sieve, and 
afterward through a muslin bag; to every pound of juice allow one 
and one-quarter pounds of sugar. Boil gently for twenty minutes. 

Jelly — (Cranberry). — Make a very strong isinglass jelly. When 
cold, mix it with a double quantity of cranberry juice. Sweeten and 
boil it up; then strain it into a shape. The sugar must be good loaf, 
or the jelly will not be clear. 

Jellies — ■without fruit. — To one pint of water put one-fourth of an 
ounce of alum; boil a minute or two; then add four pounds of white 
sugar; continue the boiling a little; strain while hot; and, when cold 
put in half a twenty-five cent bottle of extract of vanilla, strawberry, 
lemon, or any other flavor you desire for jelly. 

Jelly (Lemon). — Isinglass, two ounces; water, one quart; boil; add 
sugar, one pound; clarify; and, when nearly cold, add the juice of 
five lemons, and the grated yellow rinds of two oranges and two 
lemons; mix well, strain off the peel, and put it into glasses or bot- 
tles. 

Jelly (Hartshorn). — Hartshorn, one pound; water, one gallon; 
peel off two lemons; boil over a gentle fire till sufficiently thick; 
strain and add loaf sugar, one-half pound; whites of ten eggs beaten 
to a froth; juice of six lemons; mix well together, then bottle. 

Jelly (Isinglass). — Put four ounces isinglass and two ounces 
cloves into one gallon water, boil it down to half a gallon; strain it 
upon four pounds of loaf sugar; add, while cooling a little wine; 
then bottle. 

Jelly (Apple) — from cider. — Take of apple juice, strained, four 
pounds; sugar, two pounds; boil to a jelly, and bottle. 

Jelly (Gooseberry). — Sugar, four pounds; water, two pounds; boil 
together; it will be nearly solid when cold; to this syrup, add an 



244 ^-H'A T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

equal weight of gooseberry juice; give it a short boil, cool, then 
pot it. 

Jelly (Currant). — Take the juice of red currants, and loaf sugar, 
equal quantities; boil and stir gently for three hours; put it into 
glasses; and in three days it will concentrate into a firm jelly. 

Jelly (Tapioca). — Wash eight ounces of tapioca well; then soak in 
one gallon fresh water, five or six hours; add the peels of eight 
lemons, and set all on to heat; simmer till clear; add the juice of the 
eight lemons with wine and sugar to taste; then bottle. 

Jelly (Blackberry). — This preparation of the blackberry is more 
agreeable than the jam, as the seeds, though very wholesome, are 
not agreeable to all. It is made in the same way as currant jelly; 
but the fruit is so sweet that it only requires half the weight of the 
juice in sugar. 

Jelly (Wine). — Take one pint of water and three ounces isinglass, 
one and one-fourth sugar, the juice of two lemons, and dissolve that 
and let it come to a boil, then add wine, brandy and spice to your 
taste, and strain it through a cotton or flannel cloth and put it in 
molds to cool. 

Jelly (Quince). — Slice the quinces without paring; put into a pre- 
serving bottle and just cover with water; put over the fire and boil 
until soft; remove from the stove and strain off the liquor; to every 
gallon allow four pounds of white sugar, and boil very fast until it 
becomes a stiff jelly. 

Jellies — to keep from molding. — If the paper which is put over 
jelly be dipped in the white of an &%%, it will when dry be tight and 
firm, and keep the fruit from molding with much more certainty than 
if it is dipped in alcohol or brandy. The paper which is laid next 
the fruit is meant, not that which is tied or pasted over the glass. 
Jellies should be covered with finely pulverized sugar when put 
away, to prevent molding. 

Jeweler's Rouge — for cleaning plate, jewelry, etc. — Take green 
vitriol, dissolve it in water; then by degrees add carbonate of soda 
(used in washing); a powder will fall, which is one kind of rouge. 
It should be washed in water, and afterward dried. Another kind is 
made by putting green vitriol in a crucible, and making it red-hot, 
in which state it may be kept for a quarter of an hour. In the first 
case, a carbonate of iron will be left; in the last case, an oxide of 
iron. A small box made of a piece of sheet iron will answer the 
purpose of a crucible for making the green vitriol red-hot. Great 
care is requisite in washing. The water should be floated off the 
powder, so that all grit may be removed, and this operation should 
be repeated until the powder is perfectly impalpable. 

Jewelry (Gilt) — to clean. — Take half a pint of boiling water, or a 
little less, and put it into a clean oil-flask. To this add one ounce of 
cyanide of potassium, shake the flask, and the cyanide will dissolve. 
When the liquid is cold, add half a fluid ounce of liquor ammonia, 
and one fluid ounce of rectified alcohol. Shake the mixture together. 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 245 

and It will be ready for use. All kinds of gilt articles, which have 
become discolored, may be rendered bright by brushing them with 
the above-mentioned liquid. 

Jewelry — to clean. — i. The simplest and best method of cleaning 
gold jewelry is by washing with tepid water and fine soap, to which 
a few drops of ammonia has been added. Rinse off with clear water, 
and lay in fine hard-wood shavings, or dry polish with chamois 
skin. 

2. Wash in soap suds; rinse in diluted alcohol, and lay in a box of 
dry sawdust to dry. As simple as this se'ems, it is the very nicest 
way possible to clean gold chains or ornaments of any kind. 

Jockey Club — to make. — Spirits of wine, five gallons, orange- 
flower water, one gallon, balsam of Peru, four ounces, essence of 
bergamot, eight ounces, essence of musk, eight ounces, essence of 
cloves, four ounces, essence of neroli, two ounces; mix thoroughly, 

Johnny Cake (Superior). — Two eggs, one-half cup of molasses, 
one-half cup of sugar, one pint of buttermilk, one-half cup of butter, 
one teaspoonful of soda, one teaspoonful of salt, one teaspoonful of 
ground allspice, and make a batter with two-thirds meal and one- 
third flour. To be eaten warm. 

Julep (Mint). — One tablespoonful of white pulverized sugar, two 
and one-half tablespoonfuls water; mix well with a spoon. Take 
three or four sprigs of fresh mint, press them well in the sugar and 
water, add one and one-half wine glasses of Cognac brandy, and fill 
the glass with shaved ice, then draw out the sprigs of mint, and in- 
sert them in the ice with the stems downward, so that the leaves 
will be above in the shape of a bouquet; arrange berries and small 
pieces of sliced orange on top in a tasty manner, dash with Jamaica 
rum, and sprinkle sugar on top. Sip with a glass lube or straw. 

Jujubes, or Gum Pastilles. — Ingredients: One pound of picked 
gum arable, fourteen ounces of the finest sugar, pounded and sifted, 
one-half gill of double orange flower water, and one pint tepid water 
to soak the gum in, which is afterward to be strained off clean. Put 
the soaked and strained gum into a sugar boiler with the sugar, and 
use a clean spoon to stir it over a very moderate fire, while it boils 
and reduces to the small pearl degree; then add the orange flower 
water; stir all together on the fire; remove the preparation from the 
stove; skim off the froth, and use the mixture to cast the jujubes in 
leveled layers of starch powder contained in a flat box. 

Jujubes. — Spanish Licorice. — Ingredients: One pound of picked 
gum arable, fourteen ounces of sugar, and two ounces Spanish lico- 
rice dissolved in a gill of hot water, and afterward strained clean. 
First prepare the gum and boil it with sugar as directed in the preced- 
ing article, and wiien reduced by boiling to the small pearl degree, 
incorporate the prepared Spanish licorice with it; remove the scum 
from the surface, and finish the jujubes in the manner indicated 
above. 

Raspberry.— Ingredients: One pound of picked gum arable soaked 



246 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

in one pint of hot water and afterward strained, fourteen ounces ol 
sugar, one gill of filtered raspberry juice, and a few drops of coch- 
ineal. Proceed as in the foregoing case, adding the raspberry and 
coloring last. 

Black Currants. — Proceed in all respects as indicated for rasp- 
berry jujubes, omitting the cochineal, black currant juice being used. 
Red Currant. — The same as black currant jujubes, red currant 
juice being used, and a few drops of cochineal. 

Ordinary. — Ingredients: One pound of gum arable soaked in one 
pint of hot water and afterward strained, fourteen ounces of sugar, 
one-half an ounce of essence of roses, and a few drops of prepared 
cochineal. Let the mixture be prepared as for other jujubes, but in- 
stead of casting them in impressions made in starch powder, when 
the preparation is ready, pour it into a very clean, smooth-tinned bak- 
ing sheet to the depth of a quarter of an inch, and set it to dry in the 
screen, or hot closet (moderate heat); when sufficiently dried, so that 
on pressing the surface it proves somewhat elastic to the touch, re- 
move it from the heat, and allow it to become cold; the sheet of 
jujube may then be easily detached, and is to be cut up with scissors 
in the shape of diamonds. 

Kalsomining. — Eight pounds of whiting and one-quarter of a 
pound of white glue make the right proportions. Soak the glue over 
night in cold water, and in the morning heat it till perfectly dissolved. 
Mix the whiting with hot water; stir the two thoroughly together, 
and have the wash of the consistency of thick cream. Apply warm 
with a kalsomine brush, brushing it well in and finishing as you go 
on. If warm skim milk is used instead of whiting, the glue may be 
omitted. Before the wash is applied, all crevices and holes should 
be stopped with plaster of Paris mixed with water. If it is desirable 
to tint the walls, colors may be procured at any paint store and stirred 
into the kalsomine wash. If whitewash has been used upon the wall 
it must be scraped off before the kalsomine is used. 

Kalsomine (Silver Polish). — Take seven pounds of Paris white 
and a quarter of a pound of light-colored glue. Set the glue in a tin 
vessel containing three pints of water; let it stand over night to soak; 
then put it in a kettle of boiling water over the fire, stirring till it is 
well dissolved and quite thin. Then, after putting the Paris white 
into a large water pail, pour on hot water and stir till it appears like 
thick milk. Now mingle the glue liquid with the whiting; stir it 
thoroughly and apply with a whitewash brush or a large paint brush. 
Kathairon (Lyon's). — To eight ounces of eighty per cent, alcohol, 
colored yellow by a few drops extract of annatto, add two ounces of 
castor oil, and perfume with a little bergamot. 

Kerosene Fires. — It ought to be more generally known that wheat 
flour is probably the best possible article to throw over a fire caused 
by the spilling and igniting of kerosene. It ought to be known, be- 
cause flour is always within convetiient reach. 

Kerosene Stains — to remove. — Cover kerosene stains with Indian 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 247 

meal, and when the oil strikes through, remove and put on fresh; re- 
peat this until the oil is removed. 

Kettle (Iron) to clean. — Some one asks how to cleanse a new iron 
kettle. Mine was a source of despair to me until I was advised to 
boil skim milk in it and then wash in good soap suds. I had my 
milk man bring me six quarts of skim milk, which I boiled and sim- 
mered in my eight-quart kettle for twenty-four hours. The kettle was 
made smooth and clean, and has given me no trouble since. 

Kettles — to clean. — A good way to clean the inside of pots and 
pans is to fill them with water in which a few ounces of washing soda 
is dissolved, and set them on the fire. Let the water boil until the 
inside of the pot looks clean. 

Keys — how to fit into locks. — When it is not convenient to take 
locks apart in the event of keys being lost, stolen, or missing, when 
you wish to fit a new key, take a lighted match or candle and smoke 
the new key in the flame, introduce it carefully into the keyhole, 
press it firmly against the opposing wards of the lock, withdraw it, 
and the indentations in the smoked part of the key will show you ex- 
actly where to file. 

Kid Boots — to soften. — Melt a quarter of a pound of tallow, then 
pour it into a jar, and add to it the same weight of olive oil; stir, and 
let it stand till cold; apply a small quantity occasionally with a piece 
of flannel. Should the boots be very dirty, cleanse with warm water. 
It will soften any leather. 

Kid Boots — to clean. — A mixture of oil and ink is good to clean 
kid boots with; the first softens and the latter blackens them. 

Kid Gloves — to clean. — i. Make a strong lather with curd soap 
and warm water, in which steep a small piece of new flannel. Place 
the glove on a flat unyielding surf ace — such as the bottom of a dish — 
and having thoroughly soaped the flannel (when squeezed from the 
lather), rub the glove till all dirt be removed, cleaning and resoaping 
the flannel from time to time. Care must be taken to omit no part 
of the glove, by turning the fingers, etc. The gloves must be dried 
in the sun, or before a moderate fire, and will present the appearance 
of old parchment. When quite dry, they must be gradually pulled 
out, and will look new. 

2. Get of a druggist two ounces of benzine, and a small quantity 
of powdered soapstone or, as it is called at glove stores, ' Paris glove 
powder." With a sponge or flannel cloth apply the benzine to the 
glove (while on the hand) lightly and evenly, and let the glove re- 
main on the hand till dry, (four or five minutes). Pin it up where the 
sun will shine upon it; and in about half an hour take the gJove 
down, pull it out by taking each finger separately, holding the wrist 
in one hand. Then apply the glove powder inside and outside, rub- 
bing very hard on the outside. If this be done according to direc- 
tions, the glove will look as well as new. 

Kid Gloves — to restore. — Saturate a piece of cotton cloth with 
aqua ammonia, wring as dry as possible, and wrap the gloves closely 



248 WHA T E VER V ONE SHOULD KNO W. 

therein; roll in another dry cloth, and let the gloves then remain for 
twenty-four hours, at the expiration of which time they should be 
fully restored. The writer was told to dilute the ammonia with 
water, but found the solution not sufficiently strong, still I would ad- 
vise this weakening of the ammonia before trying the full strength. 

Kid Gloves — to wash. — Have ready a little new milk in one 
saucer, and a piece of brown soap in another, and a clean cloth or 
towel, folded three or four times. On the cloth spread out the glove 
smooth and neat. Take a piece of flannel, dip it in the milk, then 
rub off a good quantity of soap to the wet flannel, and commence to 
rub the gloves downward toward the fingers, holding it firmly with 
the left hand. Continue this process until the glove, if white, looks 
of a dingy yellow, though clean; if colored, till it looks dark and 
spoiled. Lay it to dry, and the operator will soon be gratified to see 
that the old gloves look nearly new. They will be soft, glossy, 
smooth, and elastic. 

Kid (White) — to color black. — White kid may be easily colored 
black, purple, or lilac, with a solution of one part extract logwood 
and three parts brandy. Apply with a sponge and rub until thoroughly 
dry, and rubbing the hands together so as to soften the gloves. 

Kid Slippers (White) — to clean. — To clean white kid slippers wet 
a piece of Canton flannel in benzine, rub the slipper with it, repeating 
this until the slipper is clean. 

Kindlings — how to make. — To make a handy a<nd cheap kindling, 
take a quart of tar and three pounds of resin; melt them; then cool, 
mix as much sawdust, with a little charcoal added, as can be worked 
in. Spread out on a board, and when cold break up into lumps the 
size of a large hickorynut, and you will have enough kindling to last 
a year. They readily ignite with a match, and burn with a strong 
blaze long enough to kindle any wood that is fit to burn. 

King Cakes. — The following is from a cook-book over two hun- 
dred years old: " Take a pound of flour, three-quarters of a pound 
of butter, half a pound of sugar, and half a pound of currants, well 
cleansed; rub your butter well into your flour, and put in as many 
yolks of eggs as will lithe them; then put in your sugar, currants, and 
shred in as much mace as will give them a taste; so make them up 
in little round cakes, and butter the paper you lay them on." 

Kisses. — Five ounces of sugar, three eggs, six ounces of flour, 
pinch of salt; to be dropped and sugar sprinkled on before baking. 

Knickerbocker. — Ingredients: One-quarter pint made-up lemon- 
water ice, one-half pint of Maderia .wine, one pint of iced seltzer 
water. Mix these together in a china bowl, and drink from glasses. 
As Maderia is too precious to be Avasted, one-half pint of sherry will 
be found a very good substitute in the present recipe. 

Knitted Woolen Shaw^l — to wash. — Considerable difficult)'^ is 
often found in washing knitted woolen shawls. The following di- 
rections, if strictly attended to, will be found to answer: The shawl 
should be washed in water a little more than lukewarm, in which a 



WIIA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 249 

piece of white soap has been boiled and well mixed. Wash it in two 
waters, and, in rinsing, use also water a little above lukewarm, so as 
to keep the pores of the wool open, and discharge all the soap; for, if 
this is not done, the shawl will become thick and hard. Then, when 
the shawl is well rinsed, take one and one-half pint of warm water 
and put to it two tablespoonfuls of dissolved gum arabic, which must 
be mixed well with the water. Into this gum mixture dip the shawl, 
squeezing it two or three times in it. Wring it well as it is taken out. 
and again wring it in a clean linen cloth. Put it out quite square 01 
carpet, or a fiat surface, with a clean sheet underneath it, and leave it 
in this manner till it is thoroughly dry. 

Knitting-Aprons. — Quaint knitting-aprons can be made of simple 
strips of crash, with borders worked in red or blue embroidery cot- 
ton, or if you choose to have a motto stamped upon them, it may be 
worked in outline stitch. A suitable motto would be: "Tossed, and 
re-tossed, the ball incessant flies. 

Knock-Knees — to cure. — A correspondent says: " I commenced 
the practice of placing a small book between my knees, and tying a 
handkerchief tight round my ankles. This I did two or three times 
a day, increasing the substance at every fresh trial, until I could hold 
a brick with ease breadth-ways. When I first commenced this prac- 
tice I was as badly knock-kneed as possible; but now I am as straight 
as any one. I likewise made it a practice of lying on my back in bed, 
with my legs crossed and my knees fixed tightly together. This, I 
believe, did me a great deal of good." 

Knitting Terms Explained. — To Cast On. — Make a loop in your 
thread, and place it on the needle in your left hand; when, with your 
right hand needle, knit this stitch. Repeat this until the desired 
number of stitches have been made. 

To Increase. — If one stitch only is to be increased, bring the 
thread between the needles and knit the following stitch. This will 
make an open stitch or hole in the following row. If a close increase 
is to be made, pick up the loop below the next stitch to be knitted, 
and knit it. To increase one stitch when the row is being seamed, 
the thread will be in front of the needle; pass it quite round the 
needle to the front again. 

To Decrease. — If one stitch only is to be decreased, knit two 
stitches together as one; if two stitches are to be decreased, slip one, 
knit two together, pass the slipped stitch over the two knit together. 

To Fasten On. — Twist the two ends of thread together, and knit a 
few stitches with both. 

To Pick Up a Stitch. — With the left-hand needle pick up the loop 
below the next stitch to be knitted, knit it, and pass it to the other 
needle. 

To Slip a Stitch, is merely to pass a stitch from the left-hand 
needle to the right-hand needle, without knitting it. 

To Seam a Stitch. — Insert the needle in the stitch to be seamed, 



250 WIIA T E VER V ONE SJIO ULD KNO W. 

with the point toward you. Pass the thread quite round the needle: 
take the needle with the thread on it out at the back. 

To Narrow, means knit two stitches together. 

Explanation of terms. — Narrow means knit two stitches together; t 
over one, is simply short for thread over once; thus making an extra 
stitch; t over two, two extra stitches; t over three, three extra 
stitches, etc. 

Knitted Lace (Oceana). — Cast on sixteen stitches, knit across 
plain. 

First Row. — Three plain, t over one, narrow, one over one, 
narrow, five plain, narrow, t over one, one plain, t over one, one 
plain. 

Second. — Knit back plain. 

Third. — Four plain, t over one, narrow, t over one, narrow, three 
plain, narrow, t over one, three plain, t over one, one plain. 

Fourth. — Knit back plain. 

Fifth. — Five plain, t over one, narrow, t over one. narrow, one 
plain, narrow, t over one, five plain, t over one, one plain. 

Sixth. — Knit back plain. 

Seventh. — Six plain, t over one, narrow, t over one, three stitches 
together, t over one, narrow, five plain, t over one, one plain. 

Eighth. — Knit back plain. 

Ninth. — Five plain, t over one, narrow, t over one, narrow two 
plain, t over one, narrow, five plain, t over one, one plain. 

Tenth. — Knit back plain. 

Eleventh. — Four plain, t over one, narrow, t over one, narrow, 
four plain, t over one, narrow, five plain, t over one, one plain. 

Twelfth. — Bind off five stitches, fifteen plain. 

Knitted Lace (Parisian) — Cast on nine stitches, knit across plain. 

First Row. — Slip one, two plain, t over one, narrow, one plain, t 
over two, narrow, one plain. 

Second. — Two plain, knit one loop, seam one loop, three plain, t 
over one, narrow, one plam. 

Third. — Slip one, two plain, t over one, narrow, five plain. 

Fourth. — Seven plain, t over one, narrow, one plain. 

Fifth, — Slip one, two plain, t over one, narrow, one plain, t over 
two, narrow, t over two, narrow. 

Sixth. — One plain, one loop plain, seam one loop, one plain, one 
loop plain, seam one loop, three plam, t over one, narrow, one 
plain. 

Seventh. — Slip one, two plain, t oyer one, narrow, seven plain. 

Eighth. — Bind off three, five plain, t over one, narrow, one plain. 

Knitting Lace (Normandy). — Cast on fifteen stitches. 

First Row. — Knit eight, narrow, thread over, knit three, thread 
over, knit two. 

Second. — Knit two, thread over, knit five, thread over, narrow, 
knit seven. 

Third. — Knit six, narrow, thread over, knit one, narrow, thread 



WIIA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 251 

over, knit one, thread over, narrow, knit one, thread over, knit two. 
Fourth. — Knit two, thread over, knit one, narrow, thread over, 
knit three, thread over, narrow, knit one, thread over, narrow^ knit 
five. 

Fifth. — Knit four, narrow, thread over, knit one, narrow, thread 
over, knit five, thread over, narrow, knit one, thread over, knit two. 

Sixth. — Knit two, thread over, knit one, narrow, thread over, knit 
three, thread over, narrow, knit two. thread over, narrow, knit one, 
thread over, narrow, knit three. 

Seventh. — Knit five, thread over, narrow, knit one, thread over, 
narrow, knit three, narrow, thread over, knit one, narrow, thread 
over, knit one, narrow. 

Eighth. — Cast ofif one, knit one, thread over, narrow, knit one, 
thread over, narrow, knit one, narrow, thread over, knit one, nar- 
row, thread over, knit six. 

Ninth. — Knit seven, thread over, narrow, knit one, thread over, 
slip one, narrow, pass slipped stitch over, thread over, knit one, nar- 
row, thread over, knit six. 

Tenth. — Knit two, thread over, narrow, knit three, narrow, thread 
over, knit eight. 

Eleventh. — Knit nine, thread over, narrow, knit one, narrow, 
thread over, knit three. 

Twelfth. — Cast off two, knit one, thread over, knit three together, 
thread over, knit ten. 

This finishes one scallop. 

Knit Lace (Raspberry Stitch). — Cast on any number of stitches 
that will be a multiple of four and add two more; for instance, six- 
teen and two,, or twenty-four and two. 

First Row. — Purl clear across. 

Second. — Knit first stitch, knit, purl, and knit before slipping the 
second stitch, making three of one. Purl the next three together, 
knit, purl and knit the next stitch, making three stitches of one. Purl 
the next three together, and so repeat through the needle. 

Third. — Like the first. 

Fourth. — Knit the first, purl the next three together, then knit, 
purl and knit the next before slipping, making three stitches out of 
one, etc., thus changing the order with the second row. Remember 
always to knit the first stitch and change the order of the berries. It 
makes the pattern very simple. 

Knitted Lace — (Wheat-ear Edge).— Cast on five stitches, knit 
across plain. 

First Row. — Knit two, thread over, knit one, thread over twice, 
seam two together. 

Second. — Thread over twice, seam two together, knit four. 

Third. — Knit three, thread over, knit one, thread over twice, seam 
two together. 

Fourth. — Thread over twice, seam two together, knit five. 



252 WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

Fifth. — Knit four, thread over, knit one, thread over twice, seam 
two together. 

Sixth. — Thread over twice, seam two together, knit six. 

Seventh. — Knit six, thread over twice, seam two together. 

Eighth. — Thread over twice, seam five together, knit three. 

Knitted Lace (Oak Leaf Edge). — Cast on ten stitches, knit across 
plain. 

First Row. — Two plain, t over two, scam two together, one 
plain, t over two, narrow, t over two, narrow, one plain. 

Second. — Two plain, first loop plain, seam one, loop, one plain, 
first loop plain, seem one loop, one plain, t over two, seam two to- 
gether, two plain. 

Third. — Two plain, t over two, seam two together, three plain, 
t over two, narrow, t over two, narrow, one plain. 

Fourth. — Two plain, knit one loop, seam one loop, one plain, 
knit one loop, seam one loop, three plain, t over two, seam two to- 
gether, two plain. 

Fifth. — Two plain, t over two, seam two together, five plain, t 
over two, narrow, t over two, narrow, one plain. 

Sixth. — Two plain, knit one loop, seam one loop, one plain, 
knit one loop, seam one loop, five plain, t over two, seam two to- 
gether, two plain. 

Seventh. — Two plain, t over two, seam two together, seven plain, 
t over two, narrow, t over two, narrow, one plain. 

Eighth. — Two plain, knit one loop, seam one loop, one plain, 
knit one loop, seam one loop, seven plain, t over two, seam two to- 
gether, two plain. 

Ninth. — Two plain, t over two, seam two together, fourteen 
plain. 

Tenth. — Bind off till ten stitches remain on needle, five plain, t 
over two, seam two together, two plain. 

Knitted Child's Leggings. — One and one-half ounces single 
zephyr, any shade. Cast on fifty-six stitches. 

First Row. — Narrow, t over one, one plain, t over one, one plain, 
slip one, narrow, draw slipped stitch over, one plain, t over one, one 
plain, t over one, one plain, slip one, knit five stitches together, 
draw slipped stitch over. Repeat to the end of the row. Just before 
the last stich in this and every other row, should always be preceded 
by t over one. 

Seam back on the second row and all the other even rows. This 
pattern makes the top of the legging, and consists altogether of six- 
teen rows. 

Begin at the seventeenth row and knit ten ribs for the leg, narrow- 
ing at each end of every other rib until there are forty-five stitches on 
the needle. Then divide these stitches, fifteen for the instep and 
fifteen each side of the ankle, taking the last thirty off on bits of silk. 
Knit two ribs for the instep, and cast off. Then take up the stitches 
at the side. Cast on eleven for the toe and narrow at the toe and 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 253 

heel after knitting two ribs on the side of the foot. Sew up the leg- 
ging. _ 

Knives — to clean. — Take an even portion of fine coal ashes and 
soda; mix with a little water and rub your knives with the mixture 
until all stains are removed; wash in tepid Avater without soap; wipe 
dry, and your knives will look as bright as new. 

Knives (^Silver) — care of. — Silver, or silver-plated knives, should 
be wiped with a damp cloth and thoroughly dried as soon as the meal 
is over. If left for a half hour or so, they are apt to be stained. 
Charcoal powder is good for polishing knives without destroying the 
blades. It is also a good tooth powder when finely pulverized. 

Knives — care of. — To keep knives from rusting, scour bright, 
wipe thoroughly, dry them by the fire, dust fine wood ashes fresh 
from the stove plentifully over the knives on both sides, leaving 
those which adhere to the blades, wrap in a piece of cloth and roll up 
in a paper, taking care to fold the ends of the paper so that the 
knives are all covered up. Now you may lay them away for a year, 
and when you look at them you will not find rusty spots on the steel 
blades. 

Knives Not in Use — to keep. — Without great care, knives not in 
use will soon spoil. They are best kept in a box in which sifted quick- 
lime has been placed, deep enough to admit of the blades being com- 
pletely plunged into it. The lime must not touch the handles, which 
should be occasionally exposed to the air to keep them from turning 
yellow. 

Lace (Black) — to clean. — i. Pass the lace through a warm liquor 
of bullock's gall and water, afterwards rinse in cold water; then 
take a small piece of glue, pour boiling water upon it, and again pass 
the lace through it; clap it with your hands, and then frame it to 
dry. 

2. Scald some bran with boiling water, and dip the lace up and 
down in the bran and water when warm; and when clear, squeeze 
the water out and shake the bran off. Lay it out, and pull out the 
edges, etc. Iron it between linen on a blanket, so that the iron does 
not glaze it. Or if lace is dipped in cold milk, and ironed in the 
same way, it will be found to clean it equally as well. 

Lace (Gold or Silver) — to clean. — Materials: Part of a stale loaf 
of bread, one-fourth pound powder blue. Rub the bread fine, mix 
the blue well with it. Lay this plentifully on the lace, and it will soon 
become bright; then take a piece of flannel and brush the crumbs 
well off . After this, rub the lace gently with a piece of crimson vel- 
vet, and it will look as well as new. 

Lace (Black) — to freshen. — Lay it on a clean table, sponge it all 
over with a weak solution of borax, about a teaspoonful, or less, to a 
pint of warm water. Use a piece of old black silk, or black kid glove 
is better, to sponge with. While damp, cover with a piece of black 
silk or cloth, and iron. 

Lace — to wash. — To wash nice lace, baste it closely on a piece of 



254 WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD A' NOW. 

flannel, securing all the little loops and points. Let it soak for a little 
while in a suds of pearline or fine soap with a few drops of ammonia, 
then squeeze it and wash it gently with the hands, and if not thorough- 
ly clean, soak it again in fresh suds. Rinse in two or three waters, 
and when pretty dry, press on the back of a flannel with a hot iron. 
By this process the lace will be fully restored, and will look like 
new. 

Lace (Black) — to wash. — Carefully sponge the lace with gin, or, 
if preferred, with green tea, and wind it round and round a bottle to 
dry, as, if touched with an iron bolt, it would become glossy and have 
a flattened appearance. Some persons fill the bottle with warm wa- 
ter, which causes the lace to dry more quickly. It must, on no ac- 
count, be placed near the fire, as it would loose its color, and have a 
rusty appearance. 

Lace — to wash. — Washing valuable lace should be a labor of love; 
time and patience are important requisites to do it well, and it 
comes especially within the province of the gentlewoman who pos- 
sesses it. A long wooden board, say two yards by one, will be nec- 
essary for deep flounces. For smaller pieces, one yard by half a yard 
will do, but the larger size is preferable, as several pieces can be done 
on it at the same time. The board must be covered with thick flan- 
nel, and slightly stuffed to form a thick cushion. A good supply of 
fine, long lace pins, with small, round heads, will be required, as well 
as an ivory punch or an ivory knitting-needle, with a round point, a 
lobster's claw or a dog's tooth. Before washing, the yellow stains 
sometimes observable in old lace should be removed by placing the 
discolored portion on a hot iron, covered with linen moistened with a 
solution of oxalic acid; the lace should afterward be steeped in luke- 
warm water. Tepid water expels the starch or stiffening, hot water 
shrinks the thread, while cold water sets the dirt. Having well- 
soaked the lace, wash it in a lather of purest white soap and luke- 
warm water. This must be done "with great delicacy of touch, and 
rubbing must not be attempted; it must be merely dabbed or patted, 
and pressed between the hands gently to and fro in the water. When 
the dirt is well out rinse it several times in lukewarm water, and if 
any stiffness is required pass it through water just sweetened with the 
finest white sugar candy. In drying, the moisture must be expelled 
by gentle pressure; hand wringing must never be resorted to for any 
of the finer kinds of lace. 

Lacquer (Japanese). — Japanese lacquer is made as follows: Melt 
fifty pounds of Naples asphaltum and eight pounds of dark gum 
ariime; boil for about two hours in twelve gallons of linseed oil. Then 
melt twelve pounds of dark gum amber, and boil it with two gallons 
of linseed oil; add this to the other, and add dryers. Boil for about 
two hours, or until the mass, when cooled, may be rolled into little 
pellets. Withdraw the heat, and thin down with thirty gallons of 
turpentine. During the boiling the mass must be constantly stirred 
to prevent boiling over. 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W 255 

Lacquer — for tin. — Put three ounces of seed-lac, two drams of 
dragon's blood, and one ounce of turmeric powder into a pint of 
well-rectified spirits. Let the whole remain for fourteen days, but 
during that time agitate the bottle once a day at least. When prop- 
erly combined, strain through muslin. It is brushed over tinware 
which is intended to imitate brass. 

Lamb (Roast). — Fry two good slices of pork in your spider till 
crisp; cut four slices of light stale bread, and chop in your tray with 
the pork; then put back into the spider with the pork fat; add a cup- 
ful of rich milk, a third of it cream if you have it, if not, add a table- 
spoonful of melted butter with the milk, sprinkle in a little salt, a 
half teaspoonful of black pepper, and a heaping tablespoonful of 
powdered sage; mix all well together, and let it stand to soak. If 
this is not pretty moist, add milk until it is so. Take the upper por- 
tion of a hind quarter of lamb, dust it well all over with flour, and 
sprinkle on salt with sage. Pour water in the dripping pan, and lay 
in the meat with the outside down, put in prepared dressing as com- 
pactly as possible, lay a piece of thin linen over it, set in the oven, 
and with basting every half hour spread a little butter over as you 
baste, and bake three hours or more in a good oven; add a little flour, 
and butter, and seasoning, to the drippings, and serve with your 
meat. 

Lambrequins (for mantle-shelf) — to make. — Buy apiece of heavi- 
est burlap (such as is used for floor mats; half the length of your shelf, 
divide it through the middle, and sev/ the ends together; this will 
form a seam in the center, but when nicely opened and pressed, it 
does not show. Leave about three inches of it on the edge to ravel 
for fringe; above this work the Grecian pattern, or a pretty vine, with 
Germantown wool, and tie some of the wool in with your fringe. 
Use a narrow, black velvet ribbon to finish the upper edge, and tack 
to the shelf with gilt-headed tacks. Mine is worked with shaded red, 
is very pretty, and inexpensive. Another made of invisible green 
flannel, lined with cambric, is cut in "picket fence points;" a cluster 
of bright flowers, cut from satin-finished cretonne cloth, is button- 
hole stitched on each point, the edges of the points are pinked, and 
inside of this edge is a row for feather stitching made with old gold 
floss on every point on the " picket," and the space between the 
" pickets " is finished with a tassel or ball of silk or worsted. 

Lambrequins (Mantel) — to make. — A mantel lambrequin of old 
gold twine to make the upholstery colorings of a room has red satin 
ribbon run in and out at intervals perpendiculary. Each end of rib- 
bon is folded to a. point and finished with a brass crescent, and a red 
silk tassel just below. A table lambrequin of pale blue twine has 
three rows of crushed strawberry red ribbon about an inch wide run 
horizontally through its openings, and the edge is finished with a 
thick blue fringe. Oblong ornaments made of crushed strawberry 
silk and gold tinsel are set at intervals of about four inches all along 
the heading of the fringe. The top of the table is covered with blue 



256 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

flannel, covered by a square of crocheted work in blue to match the 
fringe. 

Lambrequin — to make. — If you have a rough, uncouth shelf in 
your kitchen or sitling-room, first cover the top neatly with some 
dark, smooth cloth; then take a strip of dark but bright double-faced 
Canton flannel about eight inches in depth (more or less, according 
to width or length of shelf), and long enough to reach across the 
front of the shelf and around at either end; paste a pretty, contrasting 
stripe of cretonne through the center, and stitch it on with the ma- 
chine; hem the lower edge of the flannel, and finish with as pretty a 
worsted fringe as you can afford; bring the upper edge up over the 
edge of the board and make fast with minute iron tacks, and you wull 
have not only a convenient receptacle for lamps, books, or vases of 
flowers, but an addition to the furnishing of your room in the shape 
of a very artistic and eye-pleasing shelf. 

Lampas. — This consists in a swelling of the first bar of the upper 
palate. It is cured by rubbing the swelling two or three times a day 
with one-half ounce of alum and the same quantity of double refined 
sugar mixed with a little honey. 

Lamp-Burners — to clean. — To clean old lamp-burners, wash them 
in ashes and water, and they will come out bright as new. Many 
times a burner is condemned because the light is poor, when having 
clogged up with sediment, the wick is at fault. 

Lamp-Chimneys — to clean. — It is very necessary that the chim- 
neys of lamps be kept clean and bright, otherwise they will greatly 
interfere with the amount of light. The glass chimney-brush answers 
its purpose admirably, and, if used daily, and itself kept well cleaned 
l)y occasional washing in soda and water, there will be little trouble 
with the chimneys. Should they, from neglect, become very much 
stained and spotted, the stains or spots may be removed by soaking 
them in weak vitriol and water, or by rubbing them gently with the 
finest sandpaper under water. 

Lamp-Chimneys — care of. — After the lamps are filled and the 
chimneys washed and put on the shelf, take pieces of newspaper and 
roll in the form of a chimney, and slip over chimney and lamp. It 
will protect them from dust and flies, and when the lamps are lighted 
one will be rewarded by finding them as clear and bright as when first 
put in order. 

Lamp-Wicks — to make. — Striped cotton flannel may be used as 
wicks for kerosene lamps. Make them double, rough side out, sew- 
ing the raw edges together. It is well to dip lamp-wicks in strong, 
hot vinegar, and dry before using. The lamps are jess likely to smell 
disagreeable if this precaution is taken. 

Lamps — reflection from. — Never set the lamp upon a red table- 
cover; if you cannot find time to make a green lamp-mat, put a piece 
of green cardboard under the lamp, and you will find the reflection 
upon your work much more agreeable to the eyes than that from the 
red cover. " 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 257 

Lamps — to prevent smoking. — Soak the wick in strong vinegar, 
and dry them well before using them. No lamp will smoke with 
wicks so prepared, unless they are turned up too high. 

Lamps — ^why they explode. — Many things may occur to cause the 
flame to pass down the wick tube and explode the lamp. 

1. A lamp majr be standing on a table or mantle, and a slight puff 
of air from tiie open window or the sudden opening of a door, cause 
an explosion. 

2. A lamp may be taken quickly from a table or mantle, and in- 
stantly explode. 

3. A lamp is taken into an entrjr where there is a draft, or out of 
doors, and an explosion quickly ensues. 

4. A lighted lamp may be taken up a flight of stairs, or is raised 
quickly to a place on the mantle, resulting in an explosion. In all 
these cases the mischief is caused by the air movement — either by 
suddenly checking the draft, or forcing the air down the chimney 
against the flame. 

5. Blowing down the chimney to extinguish the light is frequently 
the cause of an explosion. 

6. Lamp explosions have be^n caused by using a chimney broken 
off at the top, or one that has a piece broken out, whereby the draft 
is rendered variable and the flame unsteady. 

7. Sometimes a thoughtless person puts a small-sized wick in a 
large burner, thus leaving considerable space in the tube along the 
edges of the wick. 

8. An old burner with its air drafts clogged up, which rightfully 
should be thrown away, is sometimes continued in use, and the final 
result is an explosion. 

Lamps (Kerosene) — to care for, — Only the most ignorant can be 
so stupid as to pour kerosene upon a fire, and as such persons do not 
read, it would be a waste of time to caution them against it. Filling 
a lamp while it is lighted is something that ought never to be done. 
It can be avoided by always filling the lamp in the morning. This 
task should belong to some one member of the household, who should 
have a fixed and regular time for doing it; nothing ought ordinarily 
to interfere with or cause its postponement. It should be made a 
duty, to be discharged with all the regularity and punctuality of the 
daily meals. If good kerosene, of either of the best manufacturers, 
be used, there is little danger of accident. Glass lamps ought never 
to be carried about, for the \^ry reason that they are glass. This 
would hold, no matter what material they contam; even if it be sperm 
or lard oil, the breaking of a lamp is a disaster to be avoided. There 
is a chance that the one carrying it ma)' slip or trip, or some other 
accident cause it to be dropped. With good kerosene, even the 
breaking the lamp and spilling its contents should cause no disaster 
in the way of burning; but all kerosene is not good, and the risk 
should never be taken. In trimming the lamps, only the small por- 
tion that is charred need be removed from the wick, and that is read- 



258 WITA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

ily done by scraping with a knife kept for the purpose. If any sub- 
stance collects upon the wick tube, that should be scraped off, leav- 
ing the brass or metal perfectly clean. After carefully scraping, wipe 
off the upper part of the wick tube and the wick with a piece of very 
soft paper, to remove any soft particles left in scraping. A wick may 
become unfit for use long before it is burned up. Many quarts of oil 
are carried through a wick, and in time the pores of the fabric be- 
come so filled with little particles of dust and other impurities that 
the oil contains, that its ability to take up the oil as fast as it is burned 
becomes greatly diminished, and when this occurs, a new wick is 
needed. If a lamp is filled quite full in a cold room, and then is 
brought into a warm one, the heat will cause the oil to expand and 
overllov/, and lead to the suspicion that the lamp leaks. This should 
be avoided by not filling completely; knowing that this may occur 
sufficient space should be left to allow for the expansion. Kerosene 
lamps, if kept full, will never explode, as there is then no room in 
the lamp for the accumulation of explosive gas. 

Land Measure. — One acre contains one hundred and sixty square 
rods, four thousand, eight hundred and forty square yards, forty-three 
thousand, five hundred and sixty square feet. One rod contains 
thirty and one-fourth square yards, two hundred and seventy-two and 
one-fourth square feet. One square yard contains nine square feet. 

Laundry Hints. — Washing fluids shorten labor, but the clothes 
require such thorough rinsing, after their use, that only careful hands 
should be intrusted with the work. 

To wash flannels so as to have them soft and pliable instead of 
hardened into wooden boards, requires skill on the part of the washer. 
Science tells that the oil of perspiration remaining in flannels should 
be removed before soap is applied, or a combination is formed with 
the soap that hardens the flannel instead of softening it. To remove 
this oil, soak them, previous to washing, for at least half an hour in 
soda water, moderately strong. After this they are easily washed and 
remain soft. 

Put all the soap used for flannels in the water. Hot water is best 
for washing and rinsing. They should be well wrung and shaken 
before they are hung to dry. Always wash flannels by themselves, 
for if done in the suds used for cotton clothes, the white fluff of the 
cotton works into the wool and spoils their appearance. Colored 
flannels are much used now, blue being recommended to wear next 
to the skin as most healthy. Where white flannels are preferred, 
they can be kept nice and white by an occasional bleaching. 

This is easily done by fastening ropes across a barrel, near enough 
to the top to allow the garment to be above it. Put some sulphur 
into an iron vessel, and after the garments are washed, rinsed, and 
placed on the ropes, pour some hot coals on the sulphur, and set the 
barrel down over it, keeping it well covered to retain the flumes. In 
a half hour or more, take them out and hang them to dry. 

When starching dark clothes color the starch with coffee, and they 



WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. ^ 259 

will be much improved in appearance, as white spots frequently show 
on the goods where white starch is used. Dark clothes should be 
turned wrong side out to dry, or hung in the shade, so as to prevent 
fading the colors. 

To give lawns afresh look, put gum arable water into the starch, 
or use it altogether if the lawn is fine. Gum arabic is also excellent 
for stiffening muslins and laces. After using it a few times the quan- 
tity liked can easily be found out. Lace should never be made stiff, 
however, or it loses its grace and beauty. In washing fine laces, do 
not rub, but squeeze the water through them. It is better to soak 
than to rub them. Borax or ammonia water cleans them nicely by 
soaking the soiled parts for several hours. 

Iron laces very lightly on the wrong side, placing them on a thick, 
soft cloth first. They may be partially dried, pulled into shape, and 
then pressed under a light weight. 

Laundry Blue. — A good washing blue is made as folft)ws: Make a 
solution of prussiate of potash, two ounces, and another of protosul- 
phate of iron, one ounce. Add the second gradually to the first, until 
the precipitate almost ceases to fall, then strain through linen; add 
water, and continue the washing until the blue color begins to dis- 
solve in it, when it may be at once dissolved in distilled water and 
dried. 

Laundry Notes. — If handkerchiefs used in colds are put to soak in 
borax water for a half hour or more, the phlegm will be removed, 
and render the washing easy. 

Stockings that are stained or troublesome to clean are improved by 
being stretched out on a board and scrubbed with a hand-brush. 
Colored stockings ought to be rinsed quickly and well, and opened 
by pulling them on the hands on each side, and holding them thus 
until the toe is reached, then letting them fall, and pinning them by 
the top and side to the line. Woolen stockings are kept from shrink- 
ing if dried on a wooden shape of the right size. These are easily 
made from shingles or thin boards. 

To keep flour starch from lumping, mix the flour with water first, 
then remove the boiling water from the fire for a minute before stir- 
ring in the mixture, or it will cook into lumps before it reaches the 
bottom. It is well to remember this in making gruel, corn-starch, 
etc. 

To set the colors of calico, soak in ox-gall r.nd water, using one 
tablespoonful of ox-gall to one gallon of water. 

A teacup of lye in a bucket of water improves the color of black 
goods. 

To brighten pink or green calicoes, put vinegar in the rinsing 
water. 

Pearl ash answers the same purpose for purple or blue. One tea- 
spoonful of sugar of lead in one qu'art of water sets blue colors fast. 
For the latter the articles must be clean. 



26o WI/A T E VER Y ONE SHOULD KNO W. 

A strong tea made of common hay is said to preser\'e the tints of 
gray-colored linen. 

Before beginning to iron, sprinkle the table plentifully with water 
and lay on the ironing blanket. This will hold it firmly in place and 
prevent all wrinkling and shoving about. NeA'er try to iron with a 
blanket having wrinkles or bunches. 

Laughing Gas — to inhale. — Procure an oiled or varnished silk 
bag, or bladder, furnished with a stop-cock, into the mouth, and at 
the same time hold the nostrils, and the sensation produced will be 
of a highly pleasing nature; a great propensity to laughter, a rapid 
flow of vivid ideas, and an u.iusual fitness for muscular exertion, are 
the ordinary feelings which it produces. The sensations produced by 
breathing this gas are not the same in all persons, but they are of an 
agreeable nature, and not followed by any depression of spirits like 
those occasioned by fermented liquors. 

Lavender Water — to make. — i. Pick the lavender flowers from 
the stalks, and to every pound put a quart of water in a cold still ovei 
a slow fire. Distil very slowly; and when finished, clean out the 
still, put the lavender v/ater back again, and distil it over again as 
slowly as before. This is double-distilled lavender water, and should 
be bottled and well corked till required for use. 

2. Best English lavender, four drams; oil of cloves, one-half dram; 
musk, five grains; best spirits of wine, six ounces; water, one ounce. 
Mix the oil of lavender with a little spirits first, then add the other 
ingredients, and let it stand, being kept well corked for at least two 
months before it is used, shaking it frequently. 

3. A cheap and good lavender water may be made by putting three 
drams of the essential oil of lavender and one dram of oil of amber- 
gris into one pint of spirits of wine, and mixing them by shaking the 
bottle, which must be kept well corked. 

Lead (Black) — to remove. — Frorn polished steel sides of a grate, 
first wash them with strong soap and water, using old flannel for the 
purpose; then rub them with sweet oil and rotten-stone; polish in the 
usual manner with soft leather. 

Lead Pipes (Broken) — to join during pressure of -water. — It fre- 
quently happens that lead pipes get cut or damaged when the water 
is running at a high pressure, causing m.uch trouble to make repairs, 
especially if the water cannot be easily turned off. In this case plug 
both ends of the pipe at the brtak, place a small piece of broken ice 
and salt around them. In a few minutes the water in the pipe will 
freeze; next, withdraw the plugs and insert a new piece of pipe; 
solder perfectly, thaw the ice, and it will be all right. 

Lead Pipes — to repair small leaks in. — Place the point of a dull 
nail over the leak, give it a gentle tap with a hammer and the flow 
will cease. 

Lead Pipes — to prevent corrosion. — Pass a strong solution of 
sulphide of potassium and sodium through the inside of the pipe at a 
temperature of two hundred and twelve degrees, and allow it to re- 



IV HA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 261 

main fifteen or twenty minutes. It converts the inside of the pipe 
into an insoluble sulphide of lead and prevents corrosion. 

Leaf Impressions. — Hold oiled paper in the smoke of a lamp, or 
of pitch, until it becomes coated with the smoke; to this paper apply 
the leaf of which you wish an impression, having previously warmed 
it between your hands, that it may be pliable. Place the lower sur- 
face of the leaf upon the blackened surface of the oiled paper, that 
the numerous veins that are so prominent on this side may receive 
from the paper a portion of the smoke. Lay a paper over the leaf, 
and then press it gently upon the smoked paper with the fingers or 
with a small roller (covered with woolen cloth or some like soft ma- 
terial), so that every part of the leaf may come in contact with the 
sooted oil paper. A coating of the smoke will adhere to t he leaf. 
Then remove the leaf carefully, and place the blackened surface on a 
sheet of white paper not ruled, or in a book prepared for the pur- 
pose, covering the leaf with a clean slip of paper, and pressing upon 
it with the fingers or roller as before. Thus may be obtained the im- 
pression of a leaf, showing the perfect outlines, together with an 
accurate exhibition of the veins which extend in every direction 
through it more correctly than the finest drawing. And this process 
is so simple, and the materials so easily obtained, that any person 
with a little practice to enable him to apply the right quantity of 
smoke to the oil paper, and give the leaf a proper pressure, can pre- 
pare beautiful leaf impressions, such as a naturalist would be proud 
to possess. There is another, and, we think, a better method of tak- 
ing leaf impressions than the preceding one. The only difference in 
the process consists in the use of printing ink instead of smoked oil 
paper. 

Leaf Printing. — After warming the leaf between the hands, apply 
printing ink by means of a small leather ball containing cotton or 
some soft substance, or with the end of the finger. The leather ball 
(and the finger when used for that purpose), after the ink is applied to 
it, should be pressed several times on a piece of leather or some 
smooth surface before each application to the leaf, that the ink may 
be smoothly and evenly applied. After the under surface of the leaf 
has been sufficiently inked, apply it to the paper where you wish the 
impression, and, after covering it with a slip of paper, use the hand 
or roller to press upon it, as described in the former process. 

Leaf Plant Skeletons. — The leaves are to be put in an earthen or 
glass vessel, and a large quantity of rain-water to be poured over 
them; after this they are to be left to the open air and to the heat of 
the sun without covering the vessel. When the water evaporates so as 
to leave the leaves dry, more must be added in its place; the leaves 
will by this means putrefy, but they require a different time for this; 
some will be finished in a month, others will require two months or 
longer, according to the toughness or their parenchyma. When they 
have been in a state of putrefaction for some time, the two mem- 
branes will begin to separate, and the green part of the leaf to be- 



262 WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KlSfO TV. 

come fluid; then the operation of cleaning is to be performed. The 
leaf is to be put upon a fiat, white earthen plate and covered with 
clear water; and being gently squeezed with the finger, the mem- 
branes will begin to open, aud the green substance will come out at 
the edges; the membranes must be carefully taken off with the finger, 
and great caution must be used in separating them near the middle 
rib. When once there is an opening toward this separation, the 
whole membrane always follows easily; when both membranes are 
taken off, the skeleton is finished, and it has to be washed clean with 
water, and then dried between the leaves of a book. Fruits are di- 
vested of their pulp and made into skeletons in a different manner. 
Take, for an instance, a fine large pear which is soft, and not tough; 
let it be neatly pared without squeezing it, and without injuring the 
crown or the stalk; put it into a pot of rain-water, covered; set it 
over the fire, and let it boil gently till perfectly soft, then take it out 
and lay it in a dish filled with cold water; then holding it by the stalk 
with one hand, rub off as much of the pulp as you can with the finger 
and thumb, beginning at the stalk, and rubbing it regularh^ toward 
the crown. The fibers are most tender toward the extremities, and 
are, therefore, to be treated with great care there. When the pulp 
has thus been cleared pretty well off, the point of a fine penknife may 
be of use to pick away the pulp sticking to the core. In order to see 
how the operation advances, the soiled water must be thrown 
away from time to time, and clean poured on in its place. When the 
pulp is in this manner perfectly separated, the clean skeleton is to be 
preserved in spirits of wine. This method may be pursued with the 
bark of trees, which afford interesting views of their constituent 
fibers. 

Leather — beautiful bronze for. — Dissolve a little of the so-called 
insoluble aniline violet in a little water, and brush the solution over 
the leather; after it dries repeat the process. 

Leather — to dye yellow. — Picric acid gives a good yellow without 
an}^ mordant, it must be used in very dilute solution, and not warmer 
than seventy degrees Fahrenheit, so as not to penetrate the leather. 

Leather — to dye green. — Aniline blue modifies picric acid to a 
fine green. In dying the leather, the temperature of eighty-five 
degrees Fahrenheit, must never be exceeded. 

Leather (Morocco and Sheep) — dyes for. — i. Blue. — Blue is 
given by steeping the subject a day in urine and indigo, then boiling 
it with alum, or it may be given by tempering the indigo with red 
wine, and washing the skin therewith. 

2. Boil elderberries or dwarf-elder, then smear and wash the skins 
therewith and wring them out; then boil the elderberries as before in 
a solution of alum water, and wet the skins in the same manner once 
or twice, dry them, aud they will be very blue. 

Red. — Red is given by washing the skm and laying them two hours 
in gall, then wringing them out, dipping them in a liquor made with 



WIIA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 263 

ligustrum, alum, and verdigris, in water, and lastly in the dye made 
of Brazil wood boiled with lye. 

Purple. — Purple is given by wetting the skins with a solution of 
roche alum in warm water, and when dry, again rubbing them with 
the hand with' a decoction of logwood in cold water. 

Green. — Green is given by smearing the skin with sap-green and 
alum boiled. 

Dark Green. — Dark green is given with steel-filings and sal-am- 
moniac, steeped in wine till soft, then smeared over the skin, which 
is to be dried in the shade. 

Yellow. — Yellow is given by smearing the skin over with aloes 
and linseed-oil dissolved and strained, or by infusing in weld. 

Light Orange. — Orange color is given by smearing it with fustic 
berries boiled in alum water, or for deep orange, with turmeric. 

Sky Color. — Sky color is given with indigo steeped in Tioiling 
water, and the next morning warmed and smeared over the skin. 

Leather — French polish dressing for. — Mix two pints best vinegar 
with one pint soft water; stir into it a quarter pound of glue, broken 
up, half a pound logwood chips, one quarter ounce of finely powdered 
indigo, one-quarter ounce of the best soft soap, one-quarter ounce of 
isinglass, put the mixture over the fire and let it boil ten minutes or 
more; then strain, bottle, and cork. When cold, it is fit for use. 
Apply with a sponge. 

Leather — French finish for. — Take a common wooden pailful of 
scraps (the legs and pates of calf-skins are best), and put a handful 
each of salt and alum upon them, and let stand three days; then boil 
until they get a thick paste ; in using, you will warm it, and in the 
first application put a little tallow with it, and for a second time a 
little soft soap, and use it in the regular way of finishing, and your 
leather will be soft and pliable, like French leather. 

Leather — French patent. — Work into the skin with appropriate 
tools three or four successive coatings of drying varnish, made by 
boiling linseed oil with white lead and litharge, in the proportion of 
one pound of each of the latter to one gallon of the former, and add- 
ing a portion of chalk or ochre, each coating being thoroughly dried 
before the application of the next. Ivory black is then substituted 
for the chalk or ochre, the varnish thinned with spirits of turpentine, 
and five additional applications made in the same manner as before, 
except that it is put on thin and not worked in. The leather is 
rubbed down with pumice-stone, in powder, and then placed in a 
room at ninety degrees, out of the way of dust. The last varnish I 
prepared by boiling half a pound asphaltum with ten pounds of the 
drying oil used in the first stage of the process, and then stirring five 
pounds copal varnish and ten pounds of turpentine. It must have 
one month's age before using it. 

Leather — liquid japan for. — Molasses, eight pounds; lampblack, 
one pound; sweet oil, one pound; gum arable, one pound; isinglass, 



264 wiiA r /•; / • /•; a' i ' o xe sik > ur. i > A'. V( > / / '. 

<mo pound. Mix well in ihirly-lvvo pounds of water; apply neat: 
when co(d, add one (piarl aleohol; an iix's qall will imprcn-e it. 

Leather Gloves to stain. — Those pleasing- hues of yellow, brown, 
CM" tan color, are readily inipartcd to leather gloves by this simple 
process: Steep saffron in soft biMlintj water for twelve hours; then, 
iiavin.«: sewed up the tops oi the j;loves, to prevent the dye from 
stdnitvjf ihe inside, wet them over with a spont;e tlipped into the 
licpiitl. IMie ("itLMutity of saffron, as well as of water, depends ow how 
iTiucli (lye ina\' \w wanlt-d, and tluir relative positions on the deptli 
of color recpiirt'd. A common ti-acup will cantain t|l)ite suflicietit in 
quatUity for a sin,i;Ie pair of j^loves. 

Leather to soften. — The best oil for maUin^ Ixmt ami harness 
leather soft and pliable, is castor oil. 

Leather — bronzing. — A small amount ot so-called msoluble ani- 
line violet is dissolveil in a little water, and the solution is brushed 
over the articles; it will ilry ipiickly, ami perhaps may have to be rc- 
l)eated. Shoes that are treated in this way present a beautiful bronze 
color. 

Leather Scraps— to utilize. — First clean the scraps, then soak 
them in water containing one per cent, of sulphuric aciil until the ma 
terial becomes soft anil plastic, then compress into blocks ami dry by 
steam. In order to soften the blocks, one poin\d of glycerine is 
acKled to (Mie hut\dred pcnmds of the material; they are then passed 
through rollers and broughl to the proper thickness to be used as in- 
ner solrs of boots and shoes. 

Lemonade (Portable). — Tartaric acd, one ounce; white sugar, 
two pounds; essence of lemon, one-ijuarter ounce. Powder and keep 
drv foi- use. One ilessert spotmful will make a glass of lemonade. 

Letters or Papers (Old) - to renew. — Hoil galls in wine and sponge 
over the surface. The letters or writings will be as fresh as ever. 

Leaves — to fasten to glass. — To fasten forest leaves to glass use 
a solntion of gmn aiabic. It is at once transinuent and adhesive. 

Leech-bites- to stop the bleeding of.— A slight pressure with the 
fmger iijion the leech-bite, which has been covered with a piece of 
lini, or ci)tton-wool will frequently stop the bleeding. If not, apply 
to the orifice a plaster spread on lint of one i)art of yellow wax and 
two parts (^f (dive oil mixed with heat. 

Leeches- to make them bite. — It is often a matter of great 
tr(nd)le to make leeches bite. They have a great dislike to certain 
skins; others they take to immediately. It is always desirable to 
wash the place with warm water, and wipe it dry befi>re applying the 
leeches. Some pers(.)ns have foutid it a good thing to smear the spot 
with a very little blood; others recommetui that the leeches should 
first be steeped foi a mon\ent (U- two in weak while wine and water, 
or pressed with a cloth that has been steeped in wine. 

Legal Brevities. — A note dated on Sunday is void. A note ob- 
tained by fraud, or from one intoxicated, is voiil. If a note be U>st 
or stolen, it does not release the maker, he must pay ii. An in- 



IV If AT KFF.A'V ONF. SflOHI.n AWOir. 265 

dorscr of .1 noic is exempt from liability, if not s<m vcd vviiii iiolicc of 
its dishonor within twoiUy-foiir hours of its noii-payiiiciit. A note 
by .'i minor is void. Notes Ix-ar interest oidy vvlieii so slatc-d. I'rin- 
cijjals are responsible for tluMr a.tji'nts. I'^ach individual in partner- 
ship is resijonsibie for the wliole amount t)f the debts of tlie firm. 
Ignorance of the law excuses no one. It is a fraud to conceal a 
fraud. It is illcj^al to compound a felony. The law compels no ono 
to do impossibiliti(;s. An ajj^reement without a consideration is void. 
Sit^natures in a lead jjencil are good in law. A receipt for money is 
not legally conclusive. The acts of one partner bind all the others. 
Contracts made on Sunday cannot be enforced. A contract with a 
minor is void. A contract made witli a lunatic is void. Written con- 
tracts concerning land must be under si-al. 

Lemon Extract- to make. — To make lemon extract, user one 
oimce of oil of lemon, and one pint of alcohol. Mix and filter 
through carbonate of magnesia. 

Lemons - medical qualities of. — ^A good deal has been said about 
the healthfulness of lemons. The latest advice is how to use them 
so th.'it they will do the most good, as follows : Most people know 
the benlit of lemonade before breakfast, but few know that it is more 
than doul)led by taking another at night also. Tlu" way to g(;t the 
better of the bilious system without blue pills or (piinine is to lake 
the juice of one, two or three lemons, as appetite cr.ives, in as much 
ice water as makes it pleasant to driidf without sugar befori- going to 
bed. In tlu; morning, on rising, at least half an hour before bre.ik- 
fast, take: tlie juice of one lemon in a goblet of water. 'I'his will 
clear the system of humor and bile with elliciency, without any of 
the wc-akening effects of calomel or cfxigress water. People should 
not irritate the stomach by eating lemons clear; the powerful acid of 
the juice, which isalways most corrosive, invariably produces inllam- 
ation after a while, but properly diluted, so that it does not burn or 
draw the throat, it does its medical w«)rk without harm, and, when 
the stomach is clear of food, has abund.int o})portiuiity to work over 
the system thoroughly, says a nu;dical authority. 

Lemon juice -to keep fresh. — IvCinon juice is so desirable in 
cookery, and also so necessary for many medicinal purposes that a 
supply of it should always be leady at hand. It is not possible at all 
times to i)rocure fresh lemons, and sonietimes they are very dear. Those 
who study economy in housekeeping will buy lemons when che.ip, 
and keep them according to the directions given, or they will extract 
the juice and i^reserve it by the following reci[>e: Take, when the 
fruit is plentiful and cheap, any number of lemons you may recpiire; 
soften them well by nulling them under the hand uj)on a table; then 
cut tlu;m in half, and with a pair of wooden lemon nippers squeeze 
out all the juice into a basin; strain it carefully through muslin, so as 
to get rid of all pulp as well as pii>s; then bottle the clear juice in 
very small phi^ils, clean aiul perfectly dry, and before corking pour 
about a teaspoonful of sweet oil upon the juice in each iMJttle to ex- 



266 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

elude all air. To prevent waste, the phials should be very small, as 
the juice, though it will keep some time corked up, will not long con- 
tinue good after the bottle is opened. When required for use, the 
oil must be first removed by dipping into it pieces of cotton-wool. 
The peels of the lemons after the juice is extracted, can be boiled in 
syrup and candied. 

Lemon Juice — to preserve. — To every pound of white sugar add 
the strained juice of four lemons. Grate the rinds and add them to 
the mixture. Preserve in glass cans. A tablespoonful will make a 
glass tumblerful of lemonade. 

Lemons — to keep. — Lemons may be kept in water for along time, 
but they gradually lose flavor. They may also be kept strung to- 
gether, and hung up in a dry, airy place. They must not touch each 
other. String them with a fine packing needle through the nib of the 
lemon. 

Lemon Verbena. — In Spain the lemon verbena, which we omly 
cultivate as a scented garden plant, is systematically collected and 
stored for winter use. With the Spaniards it is said to form one o^ 
the finest stomachics and cordials, and is taken either made into a 
decoction and drank cold with water and sugar as a tonic, or with 
the morning and evening cup of tea. A sprig of about five or six 
leaves of the lemon verbena is first put into the cup, and the hot tea 
poured upon it. By using this, Spanish authorities assert, " you will 
never suffer from flatulence, never be made nervous or old maidish, 
never have cholera, diarrhoea or loss of appetite. Besides, the flavor 
is simply delicious. No one who has once drank their cup of tea 
with this addition, will ever drink it without a sprig of lemon ver- 
bena." 

Letters (Secret) — to write. — Put five cents' worth citrate of po- 
tassa in an ounce vial of clear, cold water. This forms an invisible 
fluid. Let it dissolve, and you can use on paper of any color. Use 
a goose-quill in writing. When you wish the writing to become visi- 
ble, hold it to a red-hot stove. 

Lice on cattle — to destroy. — Pour kerosene into some shallow 
dish, to the depth of one-eighth of an inch; into this dip the teeth of a 
card, then card the animal with it, dipping occasionally while card- 
ing. Another way: Take one part lard, and one part kerosene, 
warm the lard enough so that the kerosene can be thoroughly and 
easily incorporated with it, stir until it cools sufficient to prevent 
separation. Thoroughly anoint the parts where the lice most congre- 
gate, with the mixture. If the first application does not kill the lice 
within a few days, make a second. 

Lice on Hens — remedy for. — A lady who has raised a large num- 
ber of hens, says that, after vainly trying the recommended remedies 
for lice, she has hit upon the plan of giving them, once or twice a 
week, a large loaf of Graham flour, in which a handful of sulphur has 
been mixed. The hens like it, and are .freed from lice and kept 
healthy through the season. 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 267 

Life Belts. — An excellent and cheap life belt, for persons proceed- 
ing to sea, bathing in dangerous places, or learning to swim, may be 
thus made: Take a yard and three-quarters of strong jean, double 
and divide it into nine compartments. Let there be a space of two 
inches after each third compartment. Fill the compartments with 
very fine cuttings of cork, which can be had at any cork-cutting 
establishment. Work eylet holes at the bottom of each compart- 
ment to let the water drain out. Attach a neck-band and waist strings 
of stout boot web, and sew them on strongly. 

Lima Beans — without poles. — A successful result during the past 
year of an experiment which is not new, was cultivating Lima beans 
without poles, by simply pinching off the ends as soon as they showed 
any disposition to vine. This caused the plants to assume the form 
of a thick-set bush, and they were nearly as productive as when 
allowed to climb as nature designed. 

Lima Beans — with cream. — Put a pint of the shelled beans into 
just enough boiling salted water to cover them, and boil them tender; 
then drain off the water; add a cupful of boiling milk (or better; 
cream), a little piece of butter, pepper and salt. Let the beans sim- 
mer a minute in the milk before serving. 

Limbs (Frozen) — treatment of. — Frozen limbs should be thawed 
out slowly. The patient should be placed in a cold room and the 
limlr bathed in ice-water or cloths wrung out in ice-water. When the 
limb begins to tingle, the bathing must be stopped, and the tempera- 
ture of the room gradually raised. 

Lime — for .blasting. — Every one who has slowly added water to a 
lump of quick-lime, to slake it, has noticed that in combining with 
water, the lime swells up and becomes much larger than before. This 
expansion of quick-lime, when in contact with water, is a force ex- 
ercised through a short distance, but, like the expansion of water in 
freezing, is almost irresistible. This force has lately been used in 
the coal mines of England to throw down the coal. To prepare 
quick-lime for use in blasting, it is first reduced to powder, and then 
forced into cartridges or cylinders by means of a hydraulic press. A 
mold two inches across and seven inches long, is filled with powdered 
lime, and compressed by a hydraulic press of forty-ton power into a 
solid mass of about four inches long. When these cylinders, or car- 
tridges, have lengthwise grooves cut in them to admit water, they are 
ready for use. Holes are drilled as for blasting with powder, a cylin- 
der of compressed lime is placed in each, and tamped. A tube is 
provided for in the tamping, and water, by means of a force pump, is 
forced through the tube and brought in contact with the lime car- 
tridge. In slaking, the swelling of the lime throws down the coal 
without any smoke or the liberation of unwholesome gases, and there 
is no loss of time in getting rid of these. This method of blasting 
will no doubt find a wider application than for coal mines. 

Lime — to burn without a kiln. — Make a pyramidal pile of large 
limestones, with an arched furnace next the ground for putting in the 



26S WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

fuel, leaving a narrow vent or funnel at the top; now cover the 
whole pile with earth or turf, in the way that charcoal heaps are 
covered, and put in the fire. The heat will be more completely dif- 
fused through the pile, if the aperture in the top is partially closed. 
Produces a superior article of lime. 

Lime in the Eye — to remove. — Bathe the eye with a little vinegar 
and water, and carefully remove any little pieces of lime which may 
be seen, with a feather. If any lime has got entangled in the eye- 
lashes, carefully clear it away with a bit of soft linen soaked in vine- 
gar and water. Violent inflammation is sure to follow; a smart purge 
must therefore be administered, and in all probability a blister must 
be applied oa the temple, behind the ear, or nape of the neck. 

Lime Water — to make. — To one-half pound of unslaked lime add 
three-quarters of a pint of water; put the lime into an earthen pot, 
and pour a little of the water upon it, and as the lime slakes, pour the 
water on by little and little, and stir up with a stick. The water 
must be added very slowly, otherwise the lime will fly about in all 
directions, and may break the vessel. In three or four hours' time, 
when the slaked lime has sunk to the bottom, pour the clear fluid off, 
and put it in stoppered bottles away from the light. 

Lime Water — use of. — If good milk disagrees with a child or 
grown person, lime water at the rate of three or four tablespoonfuls 
to the pint, mixed with the milk or taken after it, will usually help 
digestion and prevent flatulence. Lime water is a simple antacid, 
and is a little tonic. It often counteracts pain from acid fruits, from 
*' wind in the stomach," and from acids produced by eating candies 
and other sweets; also "stomach-ache" (indigestion) from overeating 
of any kind. A tablespoonful for a child of two years old, to a gill 
or more for an adult, is an ordinary dose, while considerable more 
will produce no serious injury. A pint of cold water dissolves less 
than ten grains of lime, and warm water still less. Pure lime water, 
even though pretty closely corked, soon deteriorates by carbonic 
acid in the air, which unites with the lime and settles as an insoluble 
carbonate. To have it always ready and good, and at no cost, put 
into a tall pint or quart glass bottle of any kind, a gill or so of good 
lime just slaked with water. Then fill the bottle nearly full of rain or 
other pure water, and let it stand quietly, corking well. The lime 
will settle, leaving clear lime water at the top. Pour off gently as 
wanted, adding more water as needed. Some carbonic acid will 
enter, but the carbonate will settle, often upon the sides of the bottle, 
and freshly saturated water remain. The lime should be removed 
and a new supply put in once a year or so, unless kept very tightly 
corked. 

Linen — how to whiten. — Linen garments which have become yel- 
low from time, may be whitened by being boiled in a lather made of 
milk and pure white soap, a pound of the latter to a gallon of the 
former. After the boiling process the linen should be twice rinsed, a 
little blue being added to the last water used. 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 269 

Linens (Colored) — how to v^ash. — Black has become such a ne- 
cessity for street wear that black linen is resorted to and made up in 
very striking costumes by fine machine embroidery. Only two kinds 
of embroidery are fashionably used, ecru and white, and these are 
employed for the edges of flounces, and ruffling reserved for the 
trimming of sleeves and basque precisely the same as navy blue 
linens. Neither blacks nor navy blues should ever be washed at home, 
unless by an exceptionably good laundress. They should be taken 
to a French laundry, and if of good quality will then be turned out 
equal to new. The reckless and lazy soap-and-soda process known 
as washing by nine-tenths of the Bridgets will ruin any fabric in time, 
and no color will stand it. Navy-blue linens have lost caste here on 
that account, and few ladies dare to buy them. To safely wash them 
no soap should be used, but a couple of potatoes grated in4;o tepid 
soft water (after having them washed and peeled), into which pre- 
viously a teaspoonful of ammonia has been put. Wash the linens 
(black or blue) in this, and rinse them in cold blue water; they will 
need no starch, and should be dried and ironed on the wrong side. 
An infusion of hay will keep the natural color in buff linens and bran 
in brown linens and prints. It also serves like the potato for starch. 

Linen (Colored Table) — to wash. — To wash colored table linen 
use tepid water, with a little powdered borax; wash quickly, using but 
little soap, and rinse in lepid water containing boiled starch; dry in 
the shade, and when almost dry, iron. 

Linen — to bleach. — Mix common bleaching-powder in the propor- 
tion of one pound to a gallon of water; stir it occasionally for three 
days, let it settle, and pour it off clear. Then make a lye of .one 
pound of soda to one gallon of boiling soft water, in which soak the 
linen for twelve hours, and boil it half an hour; next soak in the 
bleaching liquor, made as above; and lastly, wash it in the usual man- 
ner. Discolored linen or muslin may be restored by putting a portion 
of bleaching liquor into the tub wherein the articles are soaking. 

Linen — how to gloss. — Inquiry is frequently made respecting the 
mode of putting a gloss on linen collars and shirt-fronts, like that of 
new linen. This gloss, or enamel, as it is sometimes called, is pro- 
duced mainly by friction with a warm iron, and may be put on linen 
by almost any person. The linen to be glazed receives as much 
strong starch as it is possible to charge it with, then it is dried. To 
each pound of starch a piece of sperm or white wax, about the size of 
a walnut, is usually added. When ready to be ironed, the linen is 
laid upon the table and moistened very lightly on the surface with a 
clean wet cloth. It is then ironed in the usual way with a flat-iron, 
and is ready for the glossing operation. For this purpose a peculiar 
heavy flat-iron, rounded at the bottom, as bright as a mirror, is used. 
It is pressed firmly upon the linen and rubbed with much force, and 
this frictional action puts on the gloss. "Elbow grease" is the 
principal secret connected with the art of glossing linen. 



■^-jo li'j/A'j' /'.'/'/."AT o\/': snor/ /-> hwoir. 

Linen — glazing for. — AiUl a ti-aspoontul i>f salt ami owv t>f finrly 
srrapod whito s(vip \o a pint of starch. 

Linen (^ScorchedY- to restore. —Tii rostt>ro scorched liiun, peel 
ami slice two otiitnis; extract the juice by pounding and sijueezinii;; 
add to the juice hall" an ouiu'e of cut fine white soap, two ounces of 
fuller's earth, and half a pint of vinegar; boil all together. When 
cool, spread it tner the scorched linen and let it dry on; then wash 
atul boil out the linen, and the spots will disappear, unless burned 
so iKidly as to break the thread. 

Litien scent for. — Take of damask-rose leaves, one pounil; musk, 
one-half dram; violet leaves, three ounces; mix them, and put them 
in a bag. 

Linen -to remove iroti mold from. — Hold the iron mold on the 
cover of a tankard of boiling water, anil rub on the spot a little juice 
oi sorrel and a little salt; anil when the cloth has thoroughly imbibed 
tlu' juice wash it in lye. 

Liniment. — No lu-ttet- lit\imet\t for bruises on manor beast was 
ever used than etpial paits oi lauilanum, alchohol, and <.>il of worm- 
wood, ll retluces the swelling rapidly, if inllamed. ami removes 
soreness like a chaiiu. The sooner applieil, of course, the better. 

Liniment (^May-weed). — May-weed blossoms put into alcohol 
make .i superior liuitnent. 

Liniment (Arnica). — Add to one pint of sweet oil, two tablespoon- 
fuls of tincture of arnica; or the leaves may be heated in the oil over 
a slow tire, (iood for wounils, still joitvls, rheumatism, and all in- 
juries. 

Liniment (Blistering). — One part v^^panish Hies, finely powdered; 
three i>f lard; and one of yellow resin. IVlix the lanl and resin to- 
gether, ai\d add the tlies when the other ingredients begin to cool. 
To render it more active, aild one jMut of spirits turpetUine. 

Liniment (English Stable) — very strong. — Oil of spike, aipia- 
amnionia. and oil of turpeniini-, each twv> ounces; sweet oil, ami oil 
of amber, each one and one-half ounce; oil of origanum, one ounce. 
Mix 

Liniment (Mexican Mustang).— Pettoleum. tWive oil, and car- 
bon. it<,> annnoni.i, e.\ch eipial parts, atul mix. 

Liniment (Nerve and Bone), — lieef's gall, ot\e quart; alcolu^l, 
one pint; volatile litiiment, one pound; spirits of turpentine, one 
piUM\d; oil (uiganun\, four ounces; aqua ammonia, four ounces; tinct- 
ure of cayeni\e, one-half pint; oil of amber three ounces; tincture 
Spanish flies, six ounces; mix well. 

Liniment for Old Sores. — Alcohol, one quart; aqua amtr,ot\ia, 
fourounces; inl of origanum, two ounces; campl\orgum. two ounces; 
opium two tnmces; gum myrrh, two ounces; common salt, two table- 
spoons. Mix. and shake iHH'aslonally for a week. 

Liniment (Good Samaritan). — Take ninety-eight per cent, alco- 
lu>l. two quarts; and add to it the following articles: Oils of sassa- 
fras, hemlock, spirits of turpentine, tincture of cayenne, catechu, 



IV/fA T EVER V ONI'. SIfOULD KNOW. 271 

^WM^z and laiulanum, of each, one ounrc; tincture of myrrh, four 
(junces; oil of orij^anum, two ounces; oil of winterj^reen, one-half 
ounce; ^um camj)hor, two ounces; and chlorfjform, one and one-half 
oun<:es. This is one of the best applications f(;r internal jjains 
kn<;wn. 

Liniment (Cook's Electro-Magnetic.) — Hest alcohol, one gallon; 
oil of amber, eight ounces; gum camphor, eight ounces; Castile soap, 
shaved fine, two ounces; beef's gall, four ounces; ammonia, three K.'s 
strong, twelve ounces; mix, and shake occasionally for twelve hf;urs, 
and it is fit for use. This will be found a strong and valuable lini- 
ment. 

Liniment (London). — Take chloroform, olive oil, and aqua am- 
monia, u{ ea< h one ounce; acetate of morphia, ten grains. Mix and 
use as (;tli(;r h'ninicrits. Very valuable. 

Liniment (Paralytic). — .Sulphuric ether, six ounces; alcohol, two 
ounces; laudanum, one ounce; <n\ of lavender, one ounce; mix, and 
cork tightly, in ii recent case f;f paralysis let the whole extent of 
the numb surface be thonnighly bathed and rubberl with this prepara- 
tion for several minutes, usirig the hand, at least three times daily; 
at the same time take internally twenty drops of the same in a little 
sweetenerl water. 

Liniment (Rarey's). — .Sulphuric ether, four ounces; hartshorn, 
four ounces, oil <;f origanum, four ounces; alcohol, four ounces; 
sweet oil, four ounces. Shake well before using. For sprains on 
horses, etc., apply by rubbing, imd cover with a tight flannel ban- 
dage. For headache, rub a little on the temples and apply a ban- 
dage wet with the linimr.rit to the forehead. 

Liniment— for sprains and bruises. — For strain, sprain, bruise 
or brt^ken bone in either man or beast, dissolve gum camphor in 
sweet oil and rub (m three times a day with flannel or wfjolen cU;th, 
wrapi)ing up the wound with the cloth after rubbing it in. I have 
tried the abfjve and know its value. 

Lining Boxes with Babbitt Metal. — To line boxes properly, so 
as to insure their filling every time, it is necessary to heat the box 
nearly red-hot, or at least hot enough to melt the metal. Then 
smoke the shaft where the metal is to be poured upon it. This in- 
sures its cf;ming out of the box easily, after it is cold. After smok- 
ing the shaft, put it into the box or boxes, and draw some putty 
around the ends <;f them, for the purpose of stopping them, taking 
care not to press ui)on it, for if you do it will go into the box and fill 
a place that ought \.o be filled with metal; and, in the meantime, your 
metal ought to be heated, and after you have poured it, let the box 
stand till it is nearly ccjld; drive out your shaft, and it is done. 

Lips (Chapped) — to cure. — Dissolve a lump of beeswax in a small 
quantity of sweet oil — over a candle — let it cool, and it will be ready 
for use. Rubbing it warm on the lips two (^r three times will effect a 
cure. 

Lips (Cracked). — Lips not unfrequently, especially in cold 



272 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

weather, crack so badly as to resist any of the usual lip salves; 
and when this is the case, it may be desirable to touch the crack 
with a little oxide of zinc, which will frequently promote a cure. 
The oxide may be applied by means of a camels-hair brush. 

Lip Salve (Rose). — i. Oil of almonds, three ounces; alkanet, half 
an ounce. Let them stand together in a warm place until the oil is 
colored, then strain. Melt one ounce and a half of white wax, and half 
an ounce of spermaceti with the oil, stir till it begins to thicker, and 
add twelve drops of attar of roses. 2. White wax, one ounce; al- 
mond oil, two ounces; alkanet, one dram. Digest in a warm place 
till sufficiently colored, strain, and stir in six drops of attar of 
roses. 

Liquid — to make boil "without fire. — Having placed in a bot- 
tle a small quantity of brass filings; then you will perceive a strong 
boiling, so that the bottle will appear full, and the phial will become 
so warm that you cannot touch it without being burned. 

Liquors — to clear and fine. — After all the articles used to pre- 
pare any kind of liquors are put in, and they do not become perfect- 
ly clear, you will draw into a barrel which has but one head or bot- 
tom in it, with a faucet near the bottom, and sift into each barrel 
from one to two ounces pulverized lime, which will cause every im- 
purity to settle, when it can be drawn again and returned to clean 
barrels or bottles as desired. White wines are generally fined by 
isinglass in the proportion of one and one-half ounce (dissolved in 
one and one-half pints of water and thinned with some of the wine) 
to the hogshead. Red wines are generally fined with the whites of 
eggs, in the prop^ortion of twelve to eighteen to each pipe; they must 
be well beaten to a froth, with about one pint of water, and after- 
ward mixed with a little of the wine before adding to the liquor. 
Rummage well. 

W' here spirits are mentioned, it signifies high wines rectified and 
reduced to hydrometer proof. Proof spirits signifies the same thing. 
Common whisky is much below this proof, but a good substitute 
may be produced from rectified whisky by depriving it of its taste and 
odor, by means of a process which renders it suitable for use. The 
whisky should be of proper strength, and treated as follows (the 
process destroys the fusil oil, and precipitates the verdigris to the 
bottom): 

To forty gallons whisky add one and one-half pounds unslaked 
lime, three-fourths of a pound powdered alum, and one-half pint 
spirits of niter; stir well and let stand twenty-four hours. Then 
draw off into another cask, avoiding the sediment. It is then fit for 
use. All oils used must be cut in ninety per cent, alcohol, using one 
quart alcohol to two ounces oil, and should stand twenty-four hours 
before using. 

Liquors — coloring for. — Take one-half pound white sugar, put it 
into an iron kettle, moisten a little, let ii; boil and burn to red, black 
and thick, remove from the fire, and put in a little hot water to pre- 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHOULD KNO W. 273 

vent it hardening as it cools. Use this to color any liquors needing 
color, to your taste, or as near the color of the liquor you imitate as 
you can. Tincture kino is a good color and one ounce gum to one 
pint alcohol makes the tincture. 

Liquid (Disinfecting). — The following is a substitute for chloride 
of lime, and possesses this great advantage, that it is not so soon ex- 
hausted: Take two tablespoonfuls of kitchen salt (chloride of sodium), 
two teaspoonfuls of red lead (deutoxide of lead), a large wineglassful 
of common sulphuric acid, and water. Introduce the solid substances 
into a bottle with some water, then add the sulphuric acid gradually, 
gently shaking the bottle at intervals. A portion of the sulphuric 
acid combines with the red lead, forming a sulphate, which is pve- 
cipitated; another portion attacks the sodium of the salt, and sets the 
chlorine at liberty, which is at once dissolved in the water. In order 
to. use the latter, pour it into a saucer offering a sufficiently large sur- 
face for evaporation; the chlorine will then be gradually evolved, and 
disinfect the apartment. 

Lobsters — how to select. — Lobsters, recently caught, have always 
some remains of muscular action in the claws, which may be excited 
by pressing the eyes with the finger; when this cannot be produced, 
the lobster must have been too long kept. When boiled, the tail pre- 
serves its elasticity if fresh, but loses it as soon as it becomes stale. 
The heaviest lobsters are the best; when light they are watery and 
poor. Hen lobster may generally be known by the spawn or by the 
breadth of the " flap." 

Lobster Baked in its Shell. — Boil the lobster. After removing 
the meat, put it in a saucepan with a quarter of a pint of cream or 
rich milk, salt, and a dessertspoonful of butter rolled in flour; stir it 
to keep from oiling; when all the ingredients are well mixed, pour 
them into the shell and bake in the oven until of a light brown color, 
then serve hot. Fresh codfish and halibut are both excellent cooked 
in this manner. 

Lobsters' Claws. — When sending lobster or crabs to the table, 
the claws are not only a neat finish to the dish, but there is much of 
the best and sweetest meat to be found in them, but not very easily 
secured. Place some nut crackers on the table to open the claws with 
and all difficulty is overcome. 

Lockjaw — remedies for. — i. The following is said to be a positive 
cure: Let any one who has an attack of lockjaw take a small quantity 
of spirits of turpentine, warm it and pour it on the wound, no matter 
where the wound is or what is its nature. Relief will follow in less 
than one minute. Turpentine is also a sovereign remedy for croup. 
Saturate a piece of flannel with it and place on to the throat, chest, 
and, in severe cases, three to five drops on a lump of sugar, may be 
taken internally. 

2. If any person is threatened with lockjaw from injuries to the 
arms, legs, or feet, do not wait for a doctor, but put the part injured 
in the following preparation: Put hot wood ashes into water as warm 



274 ^^^ ^ ^ VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

as can be borne; if the injured part cannot be put into water, then 
wet thick folded cloths in the water and apply them to the part as 
soon as possible, and at the same time bathe the back-bone from the 
neck down with some laxative stimulant — say cayenne pepper and 
water, or mustard and water (good vinegar is belter than water); it 
should be as hot as the patient can bear it. Don't hesitate; go to 
work and do it, and don't stop until the jaws will come open. No 
person need die of lockjaw if these directions are followed. 

3. Take a red-hot coal from the fire and pour sweet oil (olive oil) 
on it; then hold the wounded part over the thick smoke, as near as 
possible without burning. It will be necessary to repeat the opera- 
tion two or three times a day. This remedy has been known to cure 
after jaws had commenced to get stiff. 

Logs and Planks — to prevent from splitting. — Logs and planks 
split at the ends because the exposed surface dries faster than the in- 
side. Saturate muriatic acid with lime, and apply like whitewash to 
the ends. The chloride'of colcium formed attracts moisture from the 
air, and prevents the splitting. 

Looking-glass — to clean. — i. Remove, with a damp sponge, fly- 
stains and other soils (the sponge may be dampened with water or 
spirits of wine). After this, dust the surface with the finest sifted 
whiting or powder-blue, and polish it with a silk handkerchief or soft 
cloth. Snuff of candle, if quite free from grease, is an excellent pol- 
ish for a looking-glass. 

2. Remove all fly stains and dirt by breathing on them and rubbing 
with a soft rag, then tie up some powder-blue in a piece of thick 
flannel, and with this carefully polish the whole surface. 

Lotion — for burns, cuts, etc. — For the cure of burns, cuts, sores 
and boils, take of. jimpson weed flowers, mullein flowers and bark of 
the common elder, about a handful of each. Boil these together; 
strain, then add four ounces beeswax and four ounces mutton tallow. 
Boil it down, then take it off, and when nearly cool add one ounce 
gum camphor, and one tablespoonful of spirits of turpentine. 

Lounge Cover. — A lovely lounge cover or coverlet for an invalid 
can be made of cast-off neckties, old bonnet pieces and scraps of silk. 
Cut the pattern of a hexagon, five inches from the center to the outer 
edge. Put a center of black silk on velvet about two inches in diame- 
ter, and piece around this in log-cabin style, preserving the form 
throughout. Twelve will make a very good-sized coverlet. Put to- 
gether with squares of black silk or velvet, and lined with bright 
flannel pinked on the edges, so that it projects a little on the right 
side. Wool pieces make a very pretty one, too. 

Lubricators — ways to make. — i. India rubber, four pounds, dis- 
solved in spirits of turpentine; common soda, ten pounds; glue, one 
pound; water, ten gallons, oil, ten gallons. Dissolve the soda and 
glue in the water by heat, then add the oil, and lastly, the dissolved 
rubber. 

2. To Lessen Friction in Machinery. — Grind together black lead 



h^IIA T E VER Y ONE SIIO ULD KNO IV 275 

with four times its weight of lard or tallow. Camphor is sometimes 
added, seven pounds to the hundred weight. 

3. Anti-Fi-i(/ion Urease. — Tallow, one hundred pounds; palm oil, 
seventy pounds; boil together when cooled to eighty degrees, strain 
through a sieve, and mix with twenty-eight pounds soda, and one and 
one-half gallons of water. For winter take twenty-five pounds more 
od in place of the tallow. 

4. Booth- s Railway Axle Grease. — Water, one gallon; clean tallow, 
three pounds; palm oil, six pounds; common soda, one-half pound, 
or tallow, two pounds, palm oil, ten pounds. Heat to about two 
hundred and twelve degrees, and stir well until it cools at seventy de- 
grees. 

5. Drill Luhricator — For wrought iron, use one pound soft soap 
mixed with one gallon of boiling water. It insures good work and 
clean ciUting. 

Lumber — facts about. — That drying lumber does not season it, 
and seasoning lumber is not drying it. That any amount of common 
air drying does not necessarily, if ever, produce a thorough shrink- 
age, even though the time be a hundred years. That time has noth- 
mg to do with either seasoning shrinking or drying, but is alone the 
residt of condition and heat. That lumber may be thoroughly 
seasoned without being either dried or shrunk. That lumber may be 
made as dry as desired, and yet not be seasoned at all, and with only 
a partial or very slight shrinkage. That common air never seasons 
lumber, though it dries it, and can never more than partially shrink 
the wood. That seasoning, shrinking and drying are each separate 
and distinct operations, and in most cases do not depend upon each 
other. That they are all necessary, though ncjt in the same degree. 
That the order of their value to the wood is in the order named, the 
seasoning being of the greatest, and the drying of the 'east value. 

Lungs — to ascertain the state of. — Draw in as much breath as 
you conveniently can, then count as long as possible in a slow and 
audible voice without drawing in more breath. The number of sec- 
onds must be carefully noted. In a consumptive the time does not 
exceed ten, and is frequently less than six seconds; in pleurisy and 
pneumonia it ranges from nine to four seconds. When the lunf s are 
sound the time will range as high as from twenty to thirty-five sec- 
onds. To expand the lungs, go into the air, stand erect, throw back 
the head and shoulders, and draw in the air through the nostrils as 
much as possible. After having then filled the lungs, raise your arms, 
still extended, and suck in the air. When you have thus forced the 
arms backward, with the chest open, change the process by which 
you draw in your breath, till the lungs are emptied. Go through the 
process several times a day, and it will enlarge the chest, give the 
lungs better play, and serve very much to ward off consumption. 

Lunch Basket. — Take any shaped basket desired, lay a piece of 
paper on the outside and cut a pattern off it; then cut of dark blue 
cloth and transfer cretonne flowers by button-hole-stitching the edges. 



276 WHAT EVERY OA^E SHOULD KNOW. 

Fasten the cloth on the basket, and finish the edges with a full ruch- 
ing of satin ribbon. The handle has loops of the ribbon on the upper 
side, and finished at the sides with full bows. Through the center of 
the plaited ribbon sew a fine gilt cord. 

Lungs — to protect from dust. — In farm labor one has often to en- 
counter a hurtful amount of dust. A simple and cheap protection 
from such an annoyance is to get a piece of sponge large enough to 
cover the nostrils and mouth, hollow it out on one side with a pair of 
scissors to fit the face, attach a string to each side, and tie it on. 
First wet it well, and squeeze out most of the water. Repeat this 
whenever the sponge becomes dry. All the dust will be caught in the 
damj) cavities, and it is easily washed out. 

Macaroni — to cook. — Break it into inch pieces, put into a sauce- 
pan, cover with cold water and a dessertspoonful of salt. Let it cook 
slowly till soft, then take a dish, such as you would scallop oysters 
in, butter it well, then put in a layer of macaroni, and next a layer of 
grated cheese. Fill your dish, covering the top with cheese. It will 
bear C(Misiderable salt. Then fill up with milk and what liquor was 
left in the sauce-pan. 

Macaroni -with Broth. — Put half a pound of macaroni, boiled and 
washed in cold water, over a fire with any kind of broth, or one pint 
of cold gravy and water, season it to taste with pepper and salt, and 
let it heat slowly for an hour, or less if you are in a hurry; then lay it 
on a flat dish, and strew over it a few bread-crumbs; then set it in the 
oven, or in front of the fire, to brown. It is delicious and very 
hearty. 

Macaroni (Italian). — Take one-fourth pound macaroni, boil it in 
water until tender; thicken one-half pint milk with two tablespoon- 
fuls flour; add two tablespoonfuls cream, one-half tablespoonful mus- 
tard, a little white pepper, and salt; stir in this one-half pound grated 
cheese; boil all together a few minutes; add the macaroni; boil ten 
minutes. This is the mode adopted at the best tables in Florence. 

Macaroni — nutritious for invalids.—Stew the macaroni in water 
until quite soft, and drain it on the back of a sieve. Have ready a 
very strong gravy stock of ox-heel, or calves' feet, place the macaroni 
in it, stew them together for twenty minutes, and serve up. 

Macaroni — -with tomato sauce. — Sauce: Put butter, the size of an 
egg, into a sauce-pan; when it is at the boiling point throw in an 
onion (minced), two sprigs of parsley, chopped fine, and a little pep- 
per. Let it cook five or eight minutes longer. Now pour in a coffe- 
cup of tomatoes which have been stewed and strained through a col- 
andar; stir all together. Boil your macaroni in salt water until ten- 
der; put in a layer of macaroni, in a baking dish, pour over sauce 
and again macaroni, and have sauce on the top; set in a moderate 
oven for three minutes. Serve immediately. 

Macaroni— with white sauce. — Warm half a pound of macaroni 
boiled and washed in cold water, in the following sauce, and use it as 
soon as it is hot: Stir together over the fire one ounce each of butter 



JVHA T E VER Y ONE SHOULD KNO IV. 277 

and flour, pouring in one pint of boiling water and milk as soon as 
the butter and flour are mixed. Season it with salt and pepper to 
taste, and put the macaroni into it. This dish is very good and 
wholesome. 

Macaroni — proper way to cook. — I took the pains to get an au- 
thentic recipe for cooking macaroni, and for all who wish a most de- 
licious, easy and cheap dish, I write it: Take three pints of beef 
soup, clear, and put one pound of macaroni in it, and boil fifteen 
minutes, with a little salt; then take up the macaroni — which should 
have absorbed nearly all the liquid — and put it on a flat plate, and 
sprinkle grated cheese over it thickly, and pour over all plentifully a 
sauce made of tomatoes, well boiled, strained, and seasoned with salt 
and pepper. Some people prefer to only put the cheese on it, but I 
prefer it with the tomato as well. If anybody don't like that when it 
is done, it is because they don't know what is good. 

Macaroons — (Hickorynut). — Make frosting as for cake; stir in 
enough pounded hickorynut meats, with mixed ground spice to taste, 
to make convenient to handle. Flour the hands and form the mix- 
ture into little balls. Place on buttered tins, allowing room to spread 
and bake in a quick oven. 

Mackerel — how to select. — Mackerel must be perfectly fresh, or 
it is a very indifferent fish; it will neither bear carriage, nor being 
kept many hours out of the water. The firmness of the flesh and the 
clearness of the eyes, must be the criterion of fresh mackerel, as they 
are of all other fish. 

Mackerel — to preserve for months. — Mackerel, being at certain 
times exceedingly plentiful, may be preserved to make an excellent 
and well-flavored dish, weeks or months after the season is past, by 
the following means: Having chosen fine fish, cleaned them per- 
fectly, and either boiled them or lightly fried them in oil, the fish 
should be divided, and the bones, heads, and skins being removed, 
they should then be well rubbed over with the following seasoning: 
For every dozen good-sized fish, it will be requisite to use three 
tablespoonfuls of salt (heaped), one ounce and a half of common 
black pepper, six or eight cloves, and a little mace, finely powdered, 
and as much nutmeg, grated, as the operator chooses to afford, not, 
however, exceeding one nutmeg. Let the whole surface be well 
covered with the seasoning; then lay the fish in layers, packed into a 
stone jar (not a glazed one); cover the whole with pretty good vin- 
egar, and, if it be intended to be long kept, pour salad oil or melted 
suet over the top. N. B. — The glazing on earthen jars is made from 
lead or arsenic, from which vinegar draws forth poison. 

Madeira Shell Boats. — These are pretty for Christmas trees, and 
please the little ones. Take half a shell, glue a slender mast in, and 
put in a sail of gilt or silver paper. They will sail nicely. 

Magnetic Pain Killer. — Laudanum, one dram; gum camphor, 
four drams; oil of cloves, one-half dram; oil of lavender, one dram; 
add then to one ounce alcohol, six drams sulphuric ether, and five 



278 WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

fluid drams chloroform. Apply with lint, or for toothache rub on the 
gums, and upon the face against the teeth. 

Mahogany — to give a rich color to. — Ingredients: One pint of 
cold-drawn linseed oil, ten cents worth of alkanetroot, and five cents 
worth of rose-pink. Put these ingredients into an earthen basin, stir 
them well, and leave them one night; then, having washed the fur- 
niture perfectly clean with vinegar, and removed all stains, cover it 
lightly with the above, on a soft rag. Leave it for some hours; then 
polish off with linen cloths. 

Mahogany — to remove stains from, — Ingredients; Six parts of 
spirits of salts, one part of salts of lemon. Mix them and keep them 
in a bottle, corked. When required for use, drop a little of the mix- 
ture on the stains, and rub them until they disappear. 

Mahogany — to remove hot-water marks. — The whitish stain left 
on a mahogany table by a jug of boiling water, or a very hot dish, 
may be removed by rubbing in oil, and afterward pouring a little 
spirits of wine on the spot and rubbing it dry with a soft cloth 

Manure from Bones. — Take one hundred pounds of bones, broken 
into as small fragments as possible; pack them in a tight cask or box 
with one hundred pounds of good wood ashes. Mix with the ashes, 
before packing, twenty-five pounds of slaked lime and twelve pounds 
of sal-soda, powdered fine. It will require about twenty gallons of 
water to saturate the mass, and more may and should be added from 
time to time to maintain moisture. In two or three weeks, it is as- 
serted, the bones will be broken down completely, and the whole may 
be turned out upon a floor and mixed with two bushels of dry peat or 
good soil; and, after drying, it is fit for use. It has been recom- 
mended to pour onto this mass dilute sulphuric acid to aid decompo- 
silion and prevent the escape of ammonia. 

Another method is to take a kettle holding a barrel or more; fill 
with bones; pour caustic lye over to cover them. A genFle fire is 
built for two or three successive days, to barely warm the liquid 
through. In a week the bones will become softened. Mix the mass 
with three loads of muck, afterward adding the leached ashes, from 
which the lye was obtained. Let the whole remain, in order to de- 
compose the muck, and apply. 

Manure — to compost. — Mixing manure or fertilizers is laborious 
work, and if nothing is gained by it, it is labor lost. But something 
may be gained by it when the condition of the material can be changed 
for the better, and at the same time something may be lost when any- 
thing can be changed for the worse. In composting, for instance, 
such raw substances as swamp muck, leaves, tannery wastes, with 
manure, or in mixing various manures, as from the horse stable, cow 
sheds, pig-pens, and poultry house, valuable results may be obtained; 
while in mixing lime or wood ashes with manure, and especially in 
mixing the common fertilizer with poultry manure and wood ashes, 
harm may be done and valuable fertilizing matter may be wasted. 
In the one case the moire actively fermenting horse or pig manure 



WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 27g 

will serve to decompose more readily the colder cow manure, and to 
produce decomposition in the abundant litter or raw matter that may- 
have been used. Besides, when the whole manure heap has been re- 
duced to an even and homogenous condition and quality, it is made 
more valuable for use in the field, and neither unduly or wastefully 
enriches one portion of it while inadequately fertilizing another por- 
tion. It is, therefore, a judicious and useful practice to mix these 
manures or these substances in the heap, either in the yard or the 
field, and so add considerably to the value of a part without detract- 
ing from the value of other portions. But in the other case much 
harm may be done by mixing any substances in the heap which may 
exert an injurious action upon the others. This may happen when 
lime or wood ashes are mixed with the manure or with the poultry 
manure; and the more harm is done, the richer in ammonia the ma- 
nure may be. Lime and potash are alkalies, and when fresh are in a 
caustic condition — that is, they are free from carbonic acid, which, 
when combined with an alkali, renders it neutral, or mild and inert. 
When fresh lime or wood ashes are mixed with manure they at once 
seek to combine with carbonic acid, from whatever source they can 
procure it. Ammonia is an alkali, and in manure is generally in com- 
bination with carbonic acid as carbonate of ammonia. The lime or 
wood ashes takes the carbonic acid from this carbonate of ammonia, 
and the ammonia escapes as gas into the air, and so far as the owner 
of the manure is concerned this ammonia is lost, and as ammonia is 
the most valuable and costly fertilizing element in existence, the loss 
is very serious. It is easy, however, to avoid this loss by using the 
lime or the ashes by themselves on the soil, and not with the manure 
directly, in which way they will do as much good. 

But sometimes it is advisable to mix lime or wood ashes in a com- 
post heap, and this may be done safely when the special behavior of 
these three indispensable substances are understood. If the manure 
is quite fresh there is very little ammonia in it, and if there is more, 
a large proportion of absorbent matter, as swamp muck in the heap 
will absorb and hold it, and carbonic acid will be produced by its de- 
composition in sufficient quantity to saturate the alkali of the lime or 
ashes or to take up the ammonia as fast as it is formed or set free. In 
fact, a farmer who understands the chemical decompositions and com- 
binations which go on in a heap of decaying manure or compost may 
use lime and wood ashes with safety and advantage. With regard to 
the common mixture of ashes, hen manure, and plaster, this may 
be safely and beneficially made at the time it is to be used, but not if 
it is to remain mixed for any considerable time previously. 

Manure (Barn) — substitute for. — Dissolve a bushel of salt in water 
enough to slake five or six bushels of lime. The best rule for prepar- 
ing the compost heat is, one bushel of this lime to one load of swamp 
muck, intimately mixed; though three bushels to five loads make a 
very good manure. In laying up the heap, let the layer of muck and 
lime be thin, so that decomposition may be more rapid and complete. 



28o PI'' J/ A r KVER Y ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

WIkmi lime cannot l)e got, use unleached ashes — three or four bushels 
to a cord of muck. In a month or six weeks, overhaul ami work over 
the heap, when it will be ready for use. Sprinkle the salt water on 
the lime as the heap ^oes uj). 

Manure— from fish, refuse, etc. — The fish owes its fertilizing; value 
to the animal matter and bone-earth which it contains. The former 
is precisely similar to flesh or blood, consisting of twenty-five per 
cent, of fibrin, the rest being water, and their bones are similar in 
composition to those of terrestrial animals. As fertilizing agents, 
therefore, the bodies of fishes will act nearly in the same way as the 
bodies and blood of animals; one hundred pounds, in decaying, pro- 
duce two and a half pounds of ammonia, ilence four hundred 
pounds of fish rotted in compost are enough for an acre. The great 
effect is due to the animoniacal portion ; for it renders the herbage 
dark green, and starts it very rapidly. One of the best composts is 
made as folU)vvs: Dried bog-earth, loam, or peat, seven barrels; hard- 
wood ashes, two barrels; fish, t)ne barrel; sUiked Hme, one bushel. 
Place a thick layer of the bog-earth on the bottom; on the top of this 
put a layer of the fish, then a sprinkling of lime, then a layer of 
ashes; on top of tlie ashes put a thick layer of bog-earth, loam, or 
peat; then another thin layer of fish, lime, and ashes, and so on till 
your materials are worked in; then top off with a thick layer of the 
absorbents, to retain the fertilizing gases. The decomposition of 
the fish will proceed very rapidly, and a very rich compost will be 
the result. It should be shoveled over and over ami thoroughly in- 
termixed and pulveriated. Put this on so as to have four hundred 
pounds of fish to the acre. It may be applied with the greatest bene- 
fit to corn, turnips, potatoes, beans, etc., in the drill, and broad cast 
on the grass. 

Superphosphate can be made from pogy-chum, or the refuse of 
other fish, after the oil is expressed, by dissolving in sulphuric acid, 
and afterward mixing with dry loam, precisely as directed for mak- 
ing supcrphospiiate with bones. Whale oil or the oil of any fish, 
when made into a compost with loam, and a little lime or wood ashes, 
yields a very powerful manure, merely mixed with absorbent earth 
and applied at the end of the month. Impure whale oil, at the rate 
of forty gallons per acre, has produced a crop of twenty-three and a 
quarter tons of turnips per acre; while on the same soil, and during 
the same season, it took forty bushels of bone-dust to produce only 
twenty-two tons per acre. 

Manure— how to double th'e usual quantity on the farm. — Pro- 
viile a good supply of l)lack swamp n\old ox loam from the woods, 
within easy reach of your stable, aiul place a layer of this, one foot 
thick, under each horse, with litter as usual on the top of the loam or 
mold. Remove the droppings of the animals every day, but let the 
loam remain io\ two weeks, then remove it, mixing it with the other 
manure, and reiplace with fresh mt)ld. Hy this simple means any 
farmer can double not only the quantity but also the quality of his 



WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 281 

manure, and never feel himself one penny the poorer by the trouble 
or expense incurred, while the ferlilizinj^ value of the ingredients ab- 
sorbed and-saved by the loam can scarcely be estimated. 

Josiah Quincy, Jr., has been very successful in keeping cattle in 
stables the year through, and feeding them by means of soiling. The 
amount of manure thus made had enabled him to improve the fertili- 
ty of a poor farm of one hundred acVes, so that in twenty years the 
hay crop had increased from twenty to three hundred tons. The 
cattle are kept in a well-arranged stable, and are let out into the yard 
an h(nir or two mornings and afternoons; but they generally appear 
glad to return to their quarters. By this process, one acre enables 
him to support three or four cows. They are fed on grass, green 
oats, corn fodder, l^arley, etc., which are sown at intervals through 
the spring and summer months, to be cut as required; but he re- 
marks that his most valuable crop is his manure crop. Each cow 
produces thrfcc and a half cords of solid, and three cords of liquid 
manure, or six and a half cords in all. Five to eight miles from Bos- 
ton, such manure is worth from five to eight dollars a cord. From 
this estimate, he has come to the conclusion that a cow's manure may 
be made as valuable as her milk. 

Manure for Almost Nothing. — If you have any dead animal — say, 
for instance, the body of a dead horse — do not suffer it to pollute the 
atmosphere by drawing it away to the woods or any other out-of- 
the-way place, but remove it a short distance only from your prem- 
ises, and put down four or five loads of muck or sods, place the car- 
cass thereon, and sprinkle it over wi<th quick-lime, and cover over 
immediately with sods or mold sufficient to make, with what had 
been previously added, twenty good wagonloads, and you will have 
within twelve months a pile of manure worth twenty dollars for any 
crop you choose to put it upon. Use a proportionate quantity of 
mold for smaller animals, but never less than twenty good wagon- 
loads for a horse ; and if any dogs manifest too great a regard for the 
inclosed carcas, shoot them on the spot. 

Manifold Paper. — -A process by which several letters can be writ- 
ten at one time. It is commonly known as copying paper. Mix 
lard with black lead or lamp-black into a stiff paste, rub it over tissue 
paper with flannel, and wipe off the superfluous quantity with a soft 
rag. These sheets alternated with black carbon paper, and written 
with a hard pencil, will produce several copies of a letter at once. 

Manuscripts — when almost illegible, to renovate. — Wash them 
lightly and carefully with a very weak solution of fer-ro-cyanide of 
potash in clean water. 

Maple (Curled) — to imitate. — Prepare a light yellow for the 
ground, by mixing chrome yellow and white lead, tinged with Vene- 
tian red. The graining color is a mixture of equal portions of raw 
sienna and Vandyke, ground in ale; spread the surface to be grained 
in an even manner; then with a piece of cork rub across the work to 



282 WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

and fro, to form the grains which run across the wood. When dry, 
varnish. 

Maple (Curled) — in oil for outside work. — Prepare a rich ground 
by mixini^ chrome yellow, white lead and burned sienna. For the 
j^^raining color, grind equal parts of raw sienna and umber with a 
little burned copperas in turpentine, and mix with a small quantity of 
grainer's cream. Thin the color with boiled oil; then fdl a tool and 
spread the surface even, and rub out the lights with the sharp edge of 
a jiiece of buff leather, which must now and then be wiped to keep it 
clean; soften the edges of the work very lightly, and when dry, put 
on the top grain witli burned umber and raw sienna, ground in ale, 
with the white of an egg beat into it. When dry, varnish. 

Maple (Bird's Eye) — to imitate. — The ground is a light buff, pre- 
pared with blue lead, chrome yellow, and a little vermillion or Eng- 
lish Venetian red, to take off the rawness of the yellow. The grain- 
ing color is equal parts of raw umber and sienna grouild in oil to the 
proper consistency. Spread the surface of the work with this color, 
and, having some of the same prepared a little thicker, immediately 
take a sash tool or sponge, and put on the dark shades, and soften 
with the badger's-hair brush before the color is dry, put on the eyes 
by dabbing the dotting machine on the work. When dry; put on the 
grain with the camel's-hair pencil on the prominent parts, to imitate 
the small hearts of the wood. When dry, varnish. 

Marble — to imitate black and gold.— This description of marble 
is now in great demand. The ground is a deep jet black, or a dead 
color, in gold size, drop black and turps; second coat, black japan. 
Commence veining; mix white and yellow ochre with a small quanti- 
ty of Vermillion to give a golil tinge; tlip the pencil in this color, 
and dab on the ground with great freedom some large patches, from 
which small threails must be drawn in various directions. In the 
deepest parts of the black, a white vein is sometimes seen running 
with a great number of small veins attached to it; but care must be 
taken that these threads are connected with, and run in some degree 
in the same direction with the thicker veins. If durability is not an 
object and the work is required in a short time, it may be executed 
very quick in distemper colors, and, when varnished, it will look 
well. 

Marble (Blue and Gold). — For the ground put on a light blue; 
then lake blue, with a small piece of white lead and some dark com- 
mon blue, ami dab on the grt)und in patches, leaving portions of the 
ground to shine between; then blenil the edges together with duster 
or softener; afterward draw on some white veins in every direction, 
leaving large open spaces to be filled up with a pale yellow or gold- 
{Kunt; rmisii with some fine white running threads, and a coat of 
varnish at last. 

Marble — to clean. — It is said that marble may be cleaned by mik- 
ing up a (piantity of the strongest soap lye with quick-lime, to the 
consistency of milk, and laying it on the marble for twenty-four 



JVI/A T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 283 

hours. Clean it afterwards with soap and water. Or else use the 
following: Take two parts of common soda, one part of pumice-stone 
and one part of powdered chalk; sift through a very fine sieve, and 
mix with water. Then rub it well all over the marble, and the stains 
will be removed. Then wash with soap and water as before, and it 
will be as clean as it was at first. 

Marble — to clean. — i. Brush the dust off the dish to be cleaned, 
then apply with a brush a good coat of gum arable, about the consis- 
tency of a thick office mucilage, expose it to the sun or dry wind, (jr 
both. In a short time it will crack and peel off. If all the gum 
should not peel off, wash it with clean water and a clean cloth. Of 
course, if the first application does not have the desired effect, it 
should be applied again. 

2. Make a paste with soft soap and whiting. Wash the marble 
first with it, and then leave a coat of the paste upon it for two or 
three days. Afterward wash off with warm (not hot) water and 
soap. 

3. Chalk, in fine powder, one part; pumice, one part; common 
soda, two parts. Mix. Wash the spots with this powder, mixed 
with a little water, then clean the whole of the stone, and wash off 
with soap and water. 

Marble — to remove dirt and stains from. — A solution of gum 
arabic will remove dirt and stains from marble. Let it remain till it 
dries, when it will peel off or can be washed off. 

Marble — to cut and polish. — The marble saw is a thin plate of 
soft iron, continually supplied, during its sawing motion, with water 
and the sharpest sand. The sawing of moderate pieces is performed 
by hand; that of large slabs is most economically done by a proper 
mill. The first substance used in the polishing process is the sharp- 
est sand, which must be worked with till the surface becomes per- 
fectly flat. Then a second and even a third sand, of increasing fine- 
ness, is to be api)Hed. The next substance is emery, of progressive 
degrees of fineness; after which, tripoli is employed; and the last 
polish is given with tin putty. The body with which the sand is 
rubbed upon the marble is usually a plate of iron; but, for the subse- 
quent process, a plate of l<5ad is used, with fine sand and emery. The 
polishing-rubbers are coarse linen cloths, or bagging, wedged tight 
into an iron plaining tool. In every step of the operation, a constant 
trickling supply of water is required. 

Marble — powerful cement for. — Take one pound of gum arabic, 
make into a thick mucilage; add to it powdered plaster of Paris, one 
and one-half pound; sifted quicklime, five ounces; mix well; heat the 
marble, and apply the mixture. 

Marble — seven colors for staining. — It is necessary to heat the 
marble hot, but not so hot as to injure it, the proper heat being that 
at which the colors nearly boil. 

Bi.UK. — Alkaline indigo dye, or turnsole with alkali. 

Rku. — Dragon's blood in spirits of wine. 



284 '^^A T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

Yellow. — Gamboge in spirits of wine. 

Gold Color. — Sal-ammoniac, sulphate of zinc, and verdigris, equal 
parts. 

Green. — Sap green in spirits of potash. 
Brown. — Tincture of logwood. 
Crimson. — Alkanet root in turpentine. 

Marble may be veined according to taste. To stain marble well is 
a difficult operation. 

Marble (Jasper). — Put on a white ground lightly tinged with blue; 
then put on patches of rich reds or rose pink, leaving spaces of the 
white grounds; then partly cover those spaces with various browns to 
form fossils, in places running veins; then put in a few spots of white 
in the center of some of the red patches, and leave in places masses 
nearly all white. When dry, use the clearest varnish. 

Marble Mantelpieces — to clean. — There is great art in cleaning 
properly a marble mantelpiece. It must be washed with soap and 
warm water. If there are any stains, mix two ounces of powdered 
pumice-stone with two ounces of powdered chalk and a quarter of a 
pound of soda. Sift these; then make them into a paste with cold 
water. Rub the marble with the paste, and afterward wash it with 
soap and water. 

Marble and Glass — to polish. — Marble of any kind, alabaster, and 
hard stone, or glass, may be repolished by rubbing it with a linen cloth 
dressed with oxide of tin (sold under the name of putty powder). For 
this purpose, a couple or more folds of linen should be fastened tight 
over a piece of wood, fiat or otherwise, according to the form of the 
stone. To repolish a mantelpiece, it should be first perfectly clean. This 
is best done by making a paste of lime, soda and water, wetting well 
the marble, and applymg the paste. Then let it remain for a day or 
so, keeping it moist during the interval. When this paste has been 
removed the polishing may begin. Chips in the marble should be 
rubbed out first with emery and water. At every stage of polishing, 
the linen and putty powder must be kept constantly wet. Glass, 
such as jewelers' show counter-cases, which become scratched, may 
be polished in the same way. 

Marble (To) — books or paper. — Provide a wooden trough two 
inches deep and the length and width of any desired sheet, boil in a 
brass or copper pan any quantity of linseed and water until a thick 
mucilage is formed; strain it into the trough, and let cool; then grind 
on a marble slab any of the following colors in small beer; 
Blue. — Prussian blue or indigo. 
Red. — Rose-pink, vermilion, or drop lake. 
Yellow. — King's yellow, yellow ochre, etc. 
White. — Flake white. 
Black. — Burned ivory or lampblack. 
Brown. — Umber, burned do; terra di sienna, burned do. 
Black. — Mixed with yellow or red; also makes brown. 
Green, — Blue and yellow mixed. 



JVHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO IV. 285 

Orange. — Red and yellow mixed. 

Purple. — Red and blue mixed. 

For each color you must have two cups, one for the color after 
grinding, the other to mix it with ox-gall, which must be used to thin 
the colors at discretion. If too much gall is used, the colors will 
spread; when they keep their place on the surface of the trough, when 
moved with a quill, they are fit for use. All things in readiness, the 
colors are successively sprinkled on the surface of the mucilage in the 
trough with a brush, and are waved or drawn about with a quill or a 
stick, according to taste. When the design is just formed, the book, 
tied t'ghtly between cutting boards of the same size is lightly pressed 
with its edge on the surface of the liquid pattern, and then withdrawn 
and dried. The covers may be marbled in the same way, only let- 
ting the liquid colors run over them. In marbling paper the sides of 
the paper is gently applied to the colors in the trough. The flim of 
color in the trough may be as thin as possible, and if any remains 
after the marbling it may be taken off by applying paper to it before 
you prepare for marbling again. To diversify the effects, colors are 
often mixed with a little sweet oil before sprinkling them on, by which 
means a light halo or circle appears around each spot. 

Marble — to gild letters on.— Apply first a coating of size and 
then several successive coats of size thickened with finely powdered 
whiting until a good face is produced. Let each coat become dry 
and rub it down with fine glass paper before applying the next. Then 
go over it thinly and evenly with gold size and apply the gold leaf, 
burnishing with agate; several coats of leaf will be required to give a 
good effect. 

Marble — to extract oil from. — Soft soap, one part; fuller's earth, 
two parts; potash, one part; boiling water to mix. Lay it on the 
spots of grease, and let it remain for a few hours. 

Marble — to imitate. — For white marble, get up a pure white 
ground, then hold a lighted candle near the surface, and allow the 
smoke to form the shades and various tints desired. This will make 
a very handsome imitation. Black marble imitation is made by 
streaking a black surface with colors, using a feather and pencil. An- 
other plan is to get up a smooth black surface; then take the colors, 
green, yellow, red, white, etc., ground thick in gold size, and streak 
the surface with a stick of pencil. Allow it to dry, and apply a heavy 
coat of lampblack and yellow ochre, mixed with rough stuff. When 
all is hard, rub down to a level surface with a lump of pumice-stone, 
varnish, and a beautiful variegated marble will be the result. 

Marking Ink — to take out of linen. — A saturated solution of 
cyanuret of potassium, applied with a camel's-hair brush. After the 
marking ink disappears, the linen should be well washed in cold 
water. 

Marmalade (Pear). — To six pounds of small pears, take four pounds 
of sugar; put the pears into a saucepan with a little cold water; cover 
it, and set it over the fire until the fruit is soft, then put them into 



286 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

cold water; pare, quarter, and core them; put to them three teacups 
of water; set them over the fire; roll the sugar fine, mash the fruit 
fine and smooth, put the sugar to it, stir it well together until it is 
thick like jelly, then put it in tumblers, or jars, and when cold secure 
it as jelly. 

Marmalade (Scotch). — Take of the juice of Seville oranges, two 
pints; yellow honey, two pounds. Boil to a proper consistence. 

Marsh Mallows. — Dissolve one-half pound of gum arable in one 
pint of water, strain and add one-half pound of fine sugar, and place 
over the fire, stirring constantly until the syrup is dissolved and all 
of the consistency of honey. Add gradually the whites of four eggs 
well beaten. Stir the mixture until it becomes somewhat thin and 
does not adhere to the finger. Flavor to taste and pour into a tin 
slightly dusted with powdered starch, and when cool divide into small 
squares. 

Mats (Braided). — Braided mats are easily made, and are very 
durable. The strips of cloth should be all of one size when rolled 
together for braiding, the thin pieces wide, and the thick ones nar- 
row. The braiding should be firm and even, sewed with best carpet 
thread, and the stitches hidden beneath the folds of cloth, that the 
thread may not wear off. If braided with five strands instead of 
three, less sewing is required. 

Mat (Foot) — to make. — Cut woolen and flannel pieces of cloth 
into strips three; inches long and half an inch wide. Get a pair of 
very coarse steel knitting needles and some jute twine — no other will 
answer — the same that is used in making gunny-sacks, and can al- 
ways be obtained where they are made, if not at the shops. Set up 
fifteen stitches on the needles, and knit once across; knit the first 
stitch on the second row, and between the needles put a piece of the 
cloth at right angles with the stitch, and knit another stitch; then 
turn the end of the cloth that points toward you out between the 
needles, so that the ends will be even, and so on clear across, two 
stitches to every piece of cloth; then knit across again plain to get 
back to the side where you began. The ends of the cloth must al- 
ways point from you as you knit them in. 

I knit one for my phaeton one yard in length and five strips wide, 
sewed together with jute, over and over stitch. They are very warm 
for the feet and are very pretty, and it is a good way to use up dis- 
carded coats, vests and pants. The cloth must not be too thick; 
broadcloth, waterproof, ladies' cloth, etc., are the best for the pur- 
pose. Mine is really very pretty; the center is orange and black 
mixed waterproof and a border of black, brightened up with tufts of 
scarlet flannel. 

Mats (Husk) — to make. — A good respectable-looking husk mat is 
not an unsightly looking object, and I wish all housekeepers knew 
what a world of scrubbing and wiping of floors it saved, that they 
might have one. One bushel basket and a boiler full of husks is suf- 
ficient to braid a large mat. If you have boys or girls, it will be fun 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 287 

for them to braid one in the evening; but, if like myself, you have 
neither, it would pay you to take the time and do it yourself. Have 
ready a teakettle full of hot water and turn into the boiler of husks. 
Begin a common three-strand braid, and as you bring over a strand 
place about three husks on ; leave the large ends of the husks up. When 
enough is braided for a mat, sew firmly with twme in any shape you 
choose — long, round or oval. Then sprinkle warm water on the 
upper side. Run a fork through the husks, splintering the ends into 
a mass of little, curly fibers. Then, with the shears, trim off evenly. 
This can all be done in one evening by a good v/orker. I braid 
enough in the fall to last the year round. 

Matches (Approved Friction). — About the best know preparation 
for friction matches is gum arable, sixteen parts by weight; phos- 
phorus, nine parts; niter, fourteen parts; peroxyde of manganese, in 
powder, sixteen parts. The gum is first made into a mucilage Vv^ith 
water, then the manganese, then the phosphorus, and the whole is 
heated to about one hundred and thirty degrees Fahrenheit. When 
the phosphorus is melted the niter is added, and the whole is thor- 
oughly stirred until the mass is a uniform paste. The wooden 
matches prepared first with sulphur are then dipped in this and after- 
ward dried in the air. Friction papers, for carrying in the pocket, 
may be made in the same manner, and by adding benzoin to the muci- 
lage they will have an agreeable odor when ignited. 

Matches (Japanese Paper). — When lighted, burn with a small, 
scarcely luminous flame, a red-hot ball of glowing saline matter accu- 
mulating as the combustion proceeds. When about one-half of the 
match has been consumed the glowing heat begins to send forth a 
succession of splendid sparks. The phenomenon gradually as- 
sumes the character of a brilliant scintillation, very similar to that ob- 
served on burning a steel spring in oxygen, only much more delicate, 
the individual sparks branching out in beautiful dendritic ramifica- 
tions. A mixture of carbon, one part, (powdered wood charcoal); 
sulphur, one and one-half parts; and niter, three and one-fourth 
parts, produce the phenomenon. English tissue paper may be used 
for the wrapper. 

Mead (Sparkling) — very superior. — Ingredients: Fourteen pounds 
of honey, three eggs, a small bunch of marjoram, the same of balm, 
and the same of sweetbriar, one-half ounce of cinnamon, one-half 
ounce of cloves, one-half ounce of bruised ginger, one-fourth of a 
pint of yeast, a bottle of white hermitage or moselle; six gallons of 
water. Set the v/ater to boil; when quite hot, stir in the honey, and 
then immediately the three eggs, slightly beaten up. Put the herbs 
together into a muslin bag, and the spices into another bag, and 
when the liquor with the honey and eggs has boiled half an hour, put 
in these two bags with their contents, and boil again for a quarter of 
an hour. After this pour out the liquor into an open tub to cool, 
take out the bags, and set it to work in the usual way by spreading 
the yeast on pieces of toasted bread and floating them on the surface. 



288 WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

After being left twenty-four hours, the toasts must be removed, and 
the liquor put into the cask. Now add the moselle or hermitage; 
when fermentation has ceased, bung the cask closely. After a month 
bottle it, and wire down the corks. 

Mead (Sarsaparilla). — One pound of Spanish sarsaparilla, boil five 
hours and strain off two gallons; add sugar sixteen pounds and tar- 
taric acid ten ounces, half a wine glass of syrup to half pint tumbler 
of water, and half teaspoonful of soda is a fair proportion for a 
drink. 

Measles — treatment. — Measles are an acute inflammation of the 
skin, internal and external, combined with an infectious fever. 

Symptoms. — Chills, succeded by great heat, languor, and drowsi- 
ness, pains in the head, back, and limbs, quick pulse, soreness of 
throat, thirst, nausea and vomiting, a dry cough, and high colored 
urine. These symptons increase in violence for four days. The 
eyes are inflamed and weak, and the nose pours forth a watery secre- 
tion, with frequent sneezing. There is considerable inflammation in 
the larynx, windpipe, and bronchial tubes, with soreness of the 
breast and hoarseness. About the fourth day the skin is covered with 
a breaking out which produces heat and itching, and is red in spots, 
upon the face first, gradually spreading over the whole body. It 
goes off in the same way, from the face first and then from the body, 
and the hoarseness and other symptoms decline with it; at last the 
outside skin peels off in scales. 

Treatment. — In a mild form, nothing is required but a light diet, 
slightly acid drinks, and flax seed or slippery elm tea. Warm herb 
teas, and frequent sponge baths with tepid water, serve to allay the 
fever; care should be taken not to let the patient take cold. • If the 
fever is very high, and prevents the rash coming out, a slight dose 
of salts, or a nauseating dose of ipecac, lobelia, or hive syrup should 
be given, and followed by teaspoonful doses of compound tincture 
of Virginia snake-root until the fever is allayed. If the patient 
from any derangement takes on a low typhoid type of fever, and the 
rash does not come out until the seventh day, and is then of a dark 
and livid color, tonics and stimulants must be given, and the expec- 
toration promoted by some suitable remedy. The room should be 
kept dark to protect the inflamed eyes. As long as the fever remains 
the patient should be kept in bed. Exposure may cause pneumonia, 
which, in other words, is acute inflammation of the lungs. Keep in 
the room as long as the cough lasts. There is always danger of the 
lungs being left in an inflamed state after the measels, unless the 
greatest care is taken not to suffer the patient to take cold. Should 
there be much pain, and a severe cough, this must be treated as a 
separate disease, with other remedies. 

Medicines — terms used to express their properties. — Absorbents 
are medicines which destroy acidities in the tuomach and bowels, 
such as magnesia, jirepared chalk, etc. 

Alteratives are medicines which restoK; health to the constitution, 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 289 

without producing any sensible effect, such as sarsaparilla, sulphur, 
etc. 

Analeptics are medicines that restore the strength which has been 
lost by sickness, such as gentian, bark, etc. 

Anodynes are medicines which relieve pain, and they are divided 
in'o three kinds, paregorics, hypnotics, narcotics (see these terms); 
camphor is anodyne as well as narcotic. 

Antacids are medicines which destroy acidity, such as lime, mag- 
nesia, soda, etc. 

Antalkalies are medicines given to neutralize alkalies in the sys- 
tem, such as citric, nitric, or sulphuric acids, etc. 

Anthelmintics are medicines used to expel and destroy worms 
from the stomach and intestines, such as turpentine, cowhage, male 
fern, etc. 

Antibilious are medicines which are useful in bilious affections^ 
such as calomel, etc. 

Antiscorbutics are medicines against scurvy, such as citric acid, 
etc. 

Antiseptics are substances used to correct putrefaction, such as 
bark, camphor, etc. 

Antispasmodics are medicines which possess the power of over- 
coming spasms of the muscles, or allaying severe pain from any 
cause unconnected with inflammation, such as valerian, ammonia, 
etc. 

Aperients are medicines which move the bowels gently, such as 
dandelion root, etc. 

Aromatics are cordial, spicy, and agreeably flavored medicines, 
such as cardamoms, cinnamon, etc. 

Astringents are medicines which contract the fibres of the body, 
diminish Excessive discharges, and act indirectly as tonics, such as 
oak-bark, galls, etc. 

Attenuants are medicines which are supposed to thin the blood, 
such as ammonia, iron, etc. 

Balsalmics are medicines of a soothing kind, such as Tolu, Peru- 
vian balsam, etc. 

Carminatives are medicines which allay pain in the stomach and 
bowels, and expel flatulence, such as aniseed water, etc. 

Cathartics are strong purgative medicines, such as jalap, etc. 

Cordials are exhilarating and warming medicines, such as aromatic 
confection, etc. 

Corroborants are medicines and food which increase the strength, 
such as iron, gentian, sago, etc. 

Demulcents correct acrimony, diminish irritation, and soften parts 
by covering their surfaces 'with a mild and viscid matter, such as lin- 
seed tea, etc. 

Deobstruents are medicines which remove obstructions, such as 
iodide of potash, etc. 



290 WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

Detergents clean the surfaces over which they pass, such as soap, 
etc. 

Diaphoretics i)roduces ixTspiralion, such as tartrate of antimony, 
etc. 

Digestives are remedies applied to ulcers or wounds, to promote 
the formation of matter, such as resin ointments, warm poultices, 
etc. 

Discuticnts possess the power of repelling or resolving tumors, 
such as galbanimi, etc. 

Diuretics act upon the kidneys and bladder, and increase the How 
of urine, such as niter, squills, etc. 

Drastics are violent jnirgatives, such as gamboge, etc. 

I'imetics produce vomiting, or the discharge of the contents of the 
stomacli, such as mustard, tartar emetic, warm water bloodroot, 
etc. 

r''mf)llients are remedies used externally to soften the parts they 
are ajjplied to, such as spermaceti, palm oil, etc. 

ICpispastics are medicines which blister or cause effusion of serum 
under the cuticle, such as Spanish flies, etc. 

Errhines are medicines which produce sneezing, such as tobacco, 
etc. 

Escharotics are medicines which corrode or destroy the vitidity of 
the jiart to which they are applieil, such as lunar caustic, etc. 

Expectorants are medicines which increase exi)ectoration, or the 
discharge of the bronchial tubes, such as ipecacuanha, etc. 

Febrifuges are remedies used in fevers, such as antimonial w^nes, 
etc. 

Hydragogues are medicines which have the effect of removing the 
fluid of dropsy, by producing water evacuations, such as gamboge, 
calomel, etc. 

Hypnotics are medicines that relieve pain l)y procuring sleep, such 
as hops, etc. 

Laxatives are medicines which cause the bowels to act rather more 
than natural, such as manna, etc. 

Narcotics are medicines which cause sleep or stupor, and allay 
pain, such as opium, etc. 

Nutrients are remedies that nourish the body, such as sugar, sago, 
etc. 

Paregorics are medicines which actually assuage \yM\\, such as 
compound tincture of camphor, etc. . 

Prophylactics are remedies employed to prevent the attack of any 
particular disease, such as (juinine, etc. 

Purgatives are medicines that promote the evacuation of the 
bowels, such as senna, etc. 

Refrigerants arc medicines which suppress an unusual heat of tiie 
body, such as wood-sorrel, tamarind. 

Rubefacients are medicines which cause redness of the skin, such 
as mustard, etc. 



WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 291 

Sedatives arc medicines which depress ihc nervous energy, and 
destroy sensation, so as to compose, sucli as foxglove, etc. 

Sialagogues are medicines which pnjmotc the How of saliva or 
spittle, such as salt, calomel, etc. 

.Soporifics are medicines which induce sleep, as hops, etc. 

Stimulants are remedies which increase the action of the heart and 
arteries, or the energy of the part to which they are applied, such ar 
sassafras, which is an internal stimulant, and savinc, which is an ex- 
ternal one. 

Stomachics restore the tone of the stomach, such as gentian, etc. 

Styptics are medicines which constrict the surface of , a part, and 
prevent the effusion of blood, such as kino, etc. 

Sudorifics promote profuse perspiration or sweating, such as ipeca- 
cuanha, etc. 

Topics give general strength to the constitution, restore the nat- 
ural energies, and improve the tone of the system, such as chamo- 
mile, etc. 

Vesicants are medicines which blister, such as strong liquid am- 
monia, etc. 

Measures — of housekeepers. — A great deal of poor food, espe- 
cially cakes and other " recipe" preparations, is due to inaccuracy in 
measuring. " A pinch " of salt or pepper, or other condiment, may 
mean four times as much in one hand as in another — quite enough 
to entirely change the quality and flavor. Teaspoons, teacups, and 
coffeecups now vary greatly. The old standard teacup held just half 
a pint, or four to the (juart. 

It vv(;uid be a sim[)le matter and a great convenience for any house- 
keeper to keep always at hand accurate measuring-cups of earthen- 
ware or tin. Let a teacupful or a turablerfull always mean exactly 
half a pint, and keep a cup of that size. Or use a small tin cup — one 
with a side handle being preferable. A cup just three inches in di- 
ameter and a trifle over two inches deep, holds half a j)int (three 
inches across and two and one-ninth inches deep inside; or two inches 
in diameter and three and one-seventh inches deej)). Any square or 
oblong cup whose inside length, depth, and width in inches multi- 
plied together make about fourteen and one-half inches (14.437) 
holds a pint. 

Sjjoon measuring is more important, especially in giving medicines. 
The top is so broad and it is so dillicult to know when a spoon is 
evenly full, that a " tcaspoonful dose" of any medicine, or of a 
flavoring extract in cooking, may be double what is prescribed.. The 
standard teaspoon, evenly full, holds one-eighth of a fluid ounce, or 
one hundred and twenty-eight to a pint ; and a standard tablespoon 
just three times as much, or forty-two to the pint. Sixty drops of 
water equal one teaspoonful, but drops of different liquids vary in 
size. Every family should have a "minim glass" (minim means a 
drop). This is a little glass tube or cup having a broad base and a lip 
for pouring from. There are markd on the side and figures ten. 



292 WHA T E VER V OA'E S//0 ULD KNO W. 

twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, sixty, for so many drops — the figure sixty 
making just a standard teaspoonful. With this at hand one is always 
able to measure off exact teaspoonfuls of anything. In giving medi- 
cine, such regularity of doses may mean recovery of health. These 
glasses can be bought at most druggists for fifteen to twenty cents 
each. 

Wheat flour, one pound is one quart; Indian meal, one pound and 
two ounces is one quart; butter, when soft, one pound is one quart; 
loaf sugar, broken, one pound is one quart; white sugar, powtiered, 
one pound and one ounce is one quart; best brown sugar, one pound 
and two ounces is one quart; eggs, ten eggs are one pound; flour, 
eight quarts are one peck; flour, four pecks are one bushel. 

Liquids. — Sixteen large tablespoonfuls are one-half pint; eight 
large tablespoonfuls are one gill; four large tablespoonfuls are one- 
half gill; two gills are one-half pint; two pints are one quart; four 
quarts are one gallon; a common sized tumbler holds one-half a pint; 
a common sized wineglass holds one-half a gill; twenty-five drops 
are equal to one teaspoonful ; sixty drops are equal to one tablespoon- 
ful. 

Meats — to cure. — For curing beef, pork, mutton and hams, the 
following recipe is good; To one gallon of water take one and a 
half pounds of salt, one-half pound of sugar, one-half ounce each of 
saltpeter and potash. In this ratio the pickle can be increased to any 
quantity desired. Let these be boiled together until all the dirt from 
the sugar rises to the top, and is skimmed off. Then throw it into a 
tub to cool, and when cold, pour it over your beef or pork. The 
meat must be well covered with pickle, and should not be put down 
for at least two days after killing, during which time it should be 
sprinkled with powdered saltpeter, which removes all the surface 
blood, etc., leaving the meat fresh and clean. 

Meat (Cold) — to prepare. — Meat balls or croquettes are nice. Re- 
move all gristle and chop fine any and all kinds of meat you may 
have, mix with an equal quantity of mashed potato and grated bread, 
about half and half, season v/ell with pepper and salt, and a little 
sage if you like, add any cold gravy you may have, or make moist 
enough v^ith water, m.ake into balls or cakes and fry, or use cold 
boiled rice and one or two eggs instead of potato and bread. An- 
other way is to take a deep dish, put a layer of the chopped met^t, 
then one of bread crumbs, season well; when the dish is full cover 
with a thick layer of nicely mashed potato, having previously moist- 
ened the meat and bread with milk, and unless quite fat meat is used, 
we add some lumps of butter. Bake in the oven three-fourths of an 
hour. It is very nice. 

Meat (Escaloped). — Chop the meat rather coarse, season with salt 
and pepper. For one pint of meat use half a cupful of gravy and a 
heaping cupful of bread crumbs. Put a layer of the meat in an 
escalop dish, then gravy, then^ thin layer of crumbs, and continue 
until the dish is full. The last layer should be a thick one of crum'^s. 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 293 

Cook in a hot oven from fifteen to twenty minutes. All kinds of 
cold meat can be escaloped, but beef is so dry that it is not so good 
as mutton and veal. 

Meat — economy in. — Take cold meat of any kind — pieces left from 
the table — and cut in pieces a quarter of an inch square, put in a 
frying-pan, and cover the meat with water; then put in a small piece 
of butter; pepper and salt, and when this comes to boil, stir in a little 
flour and- water, previously mixed. Have two or three slices of 
bread, toasted; place them on a platter, and pour the meat and gravy 
over them while hot. This will be found an excellent dish prepared 
from meat usually thrown away. 

Meat — economical use of. — There is no difficulty in any man, 
however limited his means, having meat for his family every day. 
Take, for example, what is called a shank of beef. The very best 
can be bought for a fraction of what the dearest parts cost. A single 
pound cooked in a stew with dry bits of bread will make an excellent 
meal for an entire family. 

Meat — to boil properly. — Boiling extracts a portion of the juice of 
meat, which mixes with the water, and also dissolves some of the solids; 
the more fusible parts of the fat melt out, combine with the water, 
and form soup or broth. The meat loses its red color, becomes more 
savory in taste and smell, more firm and digestible. If the process 
is continued too long, the meat becomes indigestible, less succulent, 
and tough. To boil meat to perfection, it should be done slowly, in 
plenty of water, replaced by other hot water as evaporation takes 
place; for, if boiled too quickly, the outside becomes tough; and not 
allowing the ready transmission of heat, the interior remains rare. 
The loss by boiling varies, according to Professor Donovan, from six 
and a quarter to sixteen per cent. The average loss on boiling 
butcher's meat, hams, pork and bacon is twelve, and on domestic 
poultry is fourteen and three-quarters. The loss per cent, on boiling 
salt beef is fifteen; on legs of. mutton, ten; hams, twelve and a 
half; on salt pork, thirteen and a half; knuckles of veal, eight 
and a third;- bacon, six and a quarter; turkeys, sixteen; chick- 
ens, thirteen and a half. The established rule as regards time, 
is to allow a quarter of an hour for each pound of meat if the boiling 
is rapid, and twenty minutes if slow. There are exceptions to this; 
for instance, ham and pork, which require from twenty to twenty- 
five minutes per pound, and bacon nearly half an hour. For solid 
joints allow fifteen minutes for every pound, and from ten to twenty 
minute over though of course, the length of time will depend much 
on the strength of the fire, regularity in the boiling, and size of the 
joint. The following table will be useful as an average of the time 
required to boil the various articles: Ham, twenty pounds' weight, 
requires six hours and a half, tongue, if dry, after soaking; four 
hours; tongue, out of pickle, two and a half to three hours, neck of 
mutton, one hour and a half; chicken, twenty minutes; large fowl, 
forty-five minutes; capon, thirty-five minutes; pigeon, fifteen minutes. 



204 IV J/ A j' F.I ^ER ) ' ONE SIIO UL D AW 'Oil'. 

Meat — to keep a week or two in summer. — Farmers or others 
living at a distance from butchers can keep fresh meat very nicely 
for a week or two, by putting it into sour milk, or butter-milk, plac- 
ing it in a cool cellar. The bone or fat need not be removed. Rinse 
well when user!. 

Meats and Fish — to preserve. — The mcai to be preserved is first 
parboiled or somewhat m(jre and freed from bones. It is then put 
into tin cases or canisters, which are quite filled up with a rich gravy, 
A tin cover, with a small aperture, is then carefully fixed on by 
solder; and, while the vessel is perfectly full, it is placed in boiling 
water, and undergoes the remainder of the cooking. The small hole 
in the cover is completely closed up by soldering while the whole is 
yet hot. The canister, with its ingredients, is now allowed to cool, 
in con.sequence of which these contract, and the sides of the vessel 
are slightly forced inward by atmospheric pressure, and becomes a 
little concave. The vessel being thus hermetically sealed, and all ac- 
cess of the air prevented, it may be sent into any climate without fear 
of putrefaction; and the most delicate food of one country may be 
used in another in all its original perfection, months and years after 
its preparation. Lobsters should be boiled longer than meats, and 
the scales removed previous to putting into the canisters. Salmon 
put up by this jirocess is most delicious. By the French process the 
meat is boiled till it is three-quarters done, when two-thirds of it are 
taken out, the remaining one-third is boiled into a concentrated soup, 
and the meat previously taken out is put into the canisters, which are 
then filled up with the soup; the tin cover with aperture is soldered 
on, and the canister with its contents submitted to further boiling in 
hot water, when the aperture is closed, as above stated, and the can- 
isters laid away in store. 

Meat (Injured) — to restore. — When the brine sours and taints the 
meat, pour it off; skim it well, then pour it back again on the meat 
boiling hot; this will restore it, even when much injured. If tainted 
meat is injured, dip It in the solution of chloride of lime prescribed 
for rancid butter; It will restore it. Fly-blown meat can be com- 
pletely restored by immersing it for a few hours in a vessel co itain- 
ing a small quantity of beer; but it will taint and impart a putrid 
smell to the liquor. Fresh meat, hams, fish, etc., can be preserved 
for an indefinite length of time without salt, by a light application of 
pyroligneous acid applied with a brush; it imparts a fine smoky flavor 
to the meat, and is an effectual preservative. But pure acetic acid 
may be used instead. 

Meat — to sweeten. — Meat which has been slightly tainted may be 
restored to perfect sweetness, and the odor arising from it while boil- 
ing entirely jirevented, by throwing into the pot a few pieces of char- 
coal contained in a small bag. The odor of vegetables slightly affect- 
ed may be prevented in the same way. Red pepper, and even black 
pepper, produces a siniilar but less perfect result. 

Meat — to make tender. — Tough meat may be made as tender as 



IVIIA T E VER V ONE SI/0 ULD KNO W. 295 

any by the addition of a little vinegar to the water when it is put on 
to boil. 

Medicine — to destroy the taste of. — Have the medicine in a glass 
as usual; and a tumbler of water by the side of it, then take the medi- 
cine and retain it in the mouth, which should be kept closed, and if 
you then commence drinking the water the taste of the medicine is 
washed away. Even the bitterness of quinine and aloes may be pre- 
vented l)y this means. 

/ Medical Hints — short and safe. — In health and disease endeavor 
always to live on the sunny side. Sir James Wyle, late physician to 
the Emperor of Russia^ remarked during long oI)servation in the 
hospitals of that country, that the cases of death occurring in rooms 
averted from the light of the sun, were four times more numerous 
than the fatal cases in the rooms exposed to the direct action of tlie 
solar rays. When poison is swallowed, a good off-lvmd remedy is to 
mix salt and mustard, one heaped teaspoonful of each, in a glass of 
water and drink immediately. It is quick in its operation. Then 
give the whites c;f two eggs in a cup of coffee, or the eggs alone if 
coffee cannot be had. For acid poisons give acids. In cases of 
opium poisoning, give strong coffee and keep moving. For light 
burns or scalds, dip the part in cold water or in flour, if the skin is 
destroyed, cover with varnish. If you fall into the water, float on 
the back, with the nose and mouth projecting. For apoplexy, raise 
the head and body ; for fainting lay the i)erson flat. Suck poisonous 
wounds, unless your mouth is s(;re. Enlarge the wound, or better 
cut out the part without delay, cauterize it with caustic, the end of a 
cigar, or a hot coal. If an artery is cut. compress above the wound ; 
if a vein is cut, compress below. If choked, get upon all-fours and 
cough. Before passmg through smoke take a full breath, stoop low, 
then go ahead; but if you fear carbonic acid gas, walk erect and be 
careful. Smother a fire with blankets or carpets; water tends to 
spread boiling oil and increase the danger. Remove dust from the 
eyes by dashing water into them, and avoid rubbing. Remove 
cinders, etc., with a soft, smooth wooden point. Preserve health 
and avoid catching cold, l^y regular diet, healthy food, and cleanli- 
ness. Sir Astley Cooper said: " The methods i;y which I have 
preserved my own health, are temperance, early rising, and sponging 
the body every morning with cold water, immediately after getting 
out of bed; a practice which I have adopted for thirty years without 
ever catching cold." Water diluted with two per cent, of carbolic 
acid will disinfect any room or building, if liberally used as a sprinkle. 
Diphtheria can be cured by a gargle of lemon juice, swallowing a 
little so as to reach all the affected parts. To avert cold from the 
feet, wear two pairs of stockings made from different fabrics, one i)air 
of cotton or silk, the other of wool, and the natural heat of the feet 
will be preserved if the feet are kept clean. In arranging sleeping- 
rooms the soundest and most refreshing slumber will be enjoyed when 
the head is toward the north. Late hours and anxious pursuits ex- 



2(/) wiiAi' r:\'i-:k'y oxf. siu)i!i.n a. voir. 

h.iiisl vilalilv, pioiluciil)^ (lis<-asr and pi cmal in c dcalli I licicfon: the 
hours <)( labor and study should bc.slioil Take ahuiidaiil cxtMciscr 
and rcciraliou. He iiKxIcralr in catnip' and drinking;, usiii^^ siinp'c 
and plain diet, uvt>idinK slioiij^ dtinU, l(>lia((<). siuilT, opium, und 
every excess Keep llie body vvaiin, tlie leiupci tabu, serene, and 
pla* id; shun idleness, il your hanils cannol be uselully cniph^yod, 
allend lo the < ullivalion of your inin<Is. l''or pure lie;dth-j;iviu}^ fresh 
air, ^'o to Ihc couiiii V. I>r Stocklon l|ouj.jh asserts thai il all the in- 
habilanls ot the um Id were livinj;; in cities of the nJaj^miludc of Lon- 
don, the human rai c would ln-eome extinct in a century or two. The 
111! Mil avera}.'.e ol human lile in the United ^ites is thirty-nine and a 
loiiiiii scai;., wlidr in New \'oik and I'liilam-lphia it is only Iwenty- 
ihree yeais, about lilly per ((ill. ol the deaths in these cities heinj,f 
of children under livi* years of a^c. A ^reat ptMcenta^e of this ex- 
«cs',ive nioil.ililv is ( aiised by bad air and bad food. 

Meeisclmum (Imitation). This lan be larved like the Kenuine ar- 
ticle. Take (ommon potatoes peel(;d, and maceiate them in water 
acidulated with eiKhl per cent, sulphuric acid for thirty-six hours. 
Dry on bhittin^; |)aper, and for several tiays on plates of plastiT of 
I'aris in hot sand. The potatoes .should be strongly compressed 
while drying.'. 

Men how to judge. JudKc ol men by what they do, nc)l by 
what they say. It -lieve in looks rather than in words. Observe all 
their moven\ents. Ascertain their motives and their ends. Notice 
wlial lluy say and do ni llit ii imj^uarded moments, when uder then 
inlliuiit (• of excitemeii! Ihc passions h»ve been tomparedlo tor- 
tures, whit h fence nun to uveal their secrets. Hefore trustintf a 
man, bettnc puttiii)^ it in his power to cause you a loss, possess your- 
self «»f every aviiilable information relative to him. l.earn his his- 
tory, his Itabits, im linations ami propensities ; his reputation for 
lionesty, industry, fruj.;alily ami puiKtualily ; his prospects, resources, 
supp(»rts, advantaj^i'S and disadvantaj^es ; his Intentions ami motives 
of action ; who are his friends and enemies, and what are his ^ood 
or bad ([ualitles. Yon n\ay liarn a man's good iiu.ilities and advan- 
tages from his friends — his bad (pialities and disadvantages from his 
enendes. Make due allowance Un' exaggeration in both. I'inally, 
examine catcfnlly before engaging in anything and act with eiu-rgy 
afterward. Nave the hundred eyes of Argus beft)uh.iiid and the 
huiidi(*d h.iiids ol Mriaiius alleiwaul. 

Menstruation (Painful) anodyne for. Mxtraci of stramonium 
and sulphate «>! tpiinim-, lach sixteen grains ; macrotin, eight grains ; 
morciotin, eiKht grains ; morphine, one grain ; make into eight pills. 
Dose, one pill, repealing once or twice oidy, ftirly or litly minnles 
.ipail. il the pain does not subside i>efore this liim*. i'ain nuisl sub- 
.'ul • iiiidei the irsi- of this [)ill, and costiveness is not increased. 

Metal to clean. Mix half a pint of refined neal's-fool oil and 
Ivalf a gill of spirits «)f tmpintini". .Scrape a little kernel of rotten 
tjlonr, wet a w<»olen rag therewith, dip it into the scraped kernel, and 



W//A 7' J< VKR V ONE SHOULD KNO W. 297 

rub the metal well. Wipe it off with a soft cloth, and polish with dry 
leather. 

Metals — to harden. — Iron, sixty parts ; chrome, forty parts ; 
form a comjjosition as hard as the diamond. A high degree of hard- 
ness may als<j be imparted to iron or steel by adding one-fourth part 
of silver. Clipper may be hardened by the fumes of zinc and tin. 
The j;pecula of Lord Ross' telescope is one part tin anti one part cop- 
per ; this is as hard as steel, and takes a very high polish ; if more 
than this bo added it will scarcely cohere. 

Metals — to plane. — The first operation abcjut planing, is to oil 
your planer and find out if the bed is smooth. If it is not, file off the 
rough places , then change the dogs to .see if they will work well, and 
find out the movments of the planer. After doing this, bolt your 
work on the bed, and, if it is a long, thin piece, plane off a chip, then 
turn it over and finish the other .side, taking two chips, the last of 
which should be very light, (ireat care should be taken in bolting 
it to the bed, not to sjjring it. After finishing this side turn it to the 
other side, and take off a light cut to finish it. 

Metronome— to construct. — Take a cheap clock movement and 
substitute for the pendulum a wire with a sliding weight, marking 
the wire with a file at the different points ot graduation. Used to 
indicate the i)roper time in music. 

Mice in Corn Stacks — to prevent ravages of. — Sprinkle from 
four to six bushels of dry white sand upon the root of the stack be- 
fore the thatch is put on. The sand is no detriment to the corn, and 
stacks thus dressed have remained without injury. So very effective 
is the remedy, that nests of dead young mice have been found v/here 
the sand has been used, but not a live mouse could be seen. 

Mica — to clean. — Mica in stoves (often wrongly called " isinglass"), 
when smoked, is readily cleaned by taking it out and thoroughly 
washing with vinegar a little diluted. If the black does not come off 
at once, let it soak a little. 

Mildew — to remove from cloth.— The mof t effectual method is 
one which has never failerl with us, but which needs to be used with 
care. It worked to a charm in one case where a careless laundress 
left a basket of clothes, including the fine clothing of two little chil- 
dren, to stand in hot weather till every article was mildewed. De- 
spairing, we put them in the hands of a woman noted for her wisdom 
in all household ways, and she brought them back in perfect con- 
dition. 

Dissolve two ounces of chloride of lime in one quart of boiling 
water; then add three quarts of cold water. Strain this through 
cloth, lest any tiny lumps remain, and soak the mildewed spots in 
the li(juid for five or six hours, and then thoroughly rinse in clean 
water. This is effectual. The dangers to be avoided are the use of 
too strong a s<^)lution, soaking too long, and insufficient rinsin/^, the 
result of which would be a weakening of the fiber of the cloth itself. 
Other methods are: 



29S WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

1. Cover the spot with a paste composed of soft soap, starcn, salt, 
and the juice of a lemon. The directions say half as much salt as 
starch Lay the cloth wet with this mixture in the sun, and renew 
the operation till the spots disappear. 

2. Wet the spots in buttermilk, and leave in the sun till dry, then 
rinse. 

3. Use soft soap and chalk. 

The difficulty is an obstinate one, and while some of the mildc 
methods may succeed, they may fail entirely. 

Mildew — to remove from linen, — Remove mildew from linen b} 
wetting the spot, rubbing on chalk, and exposing it to the air. Di- 
luted hartshorn will take out mildew from woolen stuffs. A weak 
solution of chloride of lime can be applied to almost any fabric, but 
must be used with care, especially on some colors. 

Milk — for drink. — Some persons are averse to milk, because they 
find it indigestible, or makes them bilious. A frequent reason for 
such consequences is that milk is drunk as if it were so much water. 
Where digestion is not strong it only agrees when leisurely sipped, 
and bread eaten with it, or else cooked with suitable solids. 

Milk and Butter — increase of. — If cows are given four ounces of 
French boiled hemp seed, it will greatly increase the quantity of milk. 
If pans are turned over this milk for fifteen minutes when first milked, 
or till cold, the same milk will give double the quantity of butter. 

Milk — healthfulness of. — If any one wishes to grow fleshy, a pint 
of milk on retiring at night will soon cover the scrawniest bones. 
Although we see a good many fleshy persons nowadays, there are 
a great many lean and lank ones, who sigh for the fashionable meas- 
ure of plumpness, and who would be vastly improved in health and 
appearance could their flesh be rounded with good, solid flesh. Noth- 
ing is more coveted by a thin woman than a full figure, and nothing 
will so rise the ire and provoke the scandal of the " clipper-build " as 
the consciousness of plumpness in a rival. In a case of fever and 
summer complaint, milk is now given with excellent results. The idea 
that milk is feverish has exploded, and it is now the physician's great 
reliance in bringing through typhoid patients, or those in too low a 
state to be nourished by solid food. It is a mistake to scrimp the 
milk-pitcher. Take more milk and buy less meat. 

Milk (Hot) — as a stimulant. — If any one is fatigued, the best re- 
storative is hot milk, a tumbler of the beverage as hot as can be 
sipped. This is far more of a restorative than any alcoholic drink. 

Milk — to increase the flow of in cows. — Give your cows three 
times a day, water slightly warm, slightly salted, in v/hich bran has 
been stirred at the rate of one quart to two gallons of water. You 
will find if you have not tried this daily practice, that the cow will 
give twenty-five per cent, more milk, and she will become so much 
attached to the diet that she will refuse to drink clear water unless 
very thirsty, but this mess she will drink at almost any time, and ask 
for more. The amount ot this drink necessary is an ordinary water- 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 299 

pailful each time, morning, noon, and night. Avoid giving cows 
"slops," as they are no more fit for the animal than they are for the 
human. 

Milk — preserved or solidified — i. Fresh-skimmed milk, one gal- 
lon; sesquicarbonate of soda (in powder), one and one-half drams. 
Mix; evaporate to one-third part by heat of steam or water-bath, with 
constant agitation; then add of powdered sugar six and one-half 
pounds, and complete the evaporation at a reduced temperature. 
Reduce the dry mass to powder, add the cream, well drained, which 
was taken from the milk. After thorough admixture, put the whole 
into well-stopped bottles or tins, and hermetically seal. 

2. Carbonate of soda, one-half dram; water, one fluid ounce; dis- 
solve ; add of fresh milk, one quart ; sugar, one pound ; reduce by 
heat to the consistency of a syrup, and finish the evaporation on 
plates, by exposure in an oven. Observe — About one ounce of the 
powder agitated with one pint of water forms a good substitute for 
milk. 

Milk — punch — Yellow rinds of two dozen lemons; steep two days 
in two quarts brandy; add spirit, three quarts; hot water, two quarts; 
lemon juice one quart; loaf-sugar, four pounds; boiling milk, two 
quarts; two nutmegs grated. Mix, and in two hours strain through 
wool. 

Milk — to keep sweet — Put into the milk a small quantity of car- 
bonate of magnesia. 

Mi k (Quality) — how to test. — Procure any long glass vessel — a 
cologne bottle or long phial. Take a narrow strip of paper, just the 
length from the neck to the bottom of the phial, and mark it off with 
one hundred lines at equal distances; or into fifty lines, and count 
each as two, and paste it upon the phial, so as to divide its length" 
into a hundred equal parts. Fill it to the highest part with milk fresh 
from the cow, and allow it to stand in a perpendicular position 
twenty-four hours. The number of spaces occupied by the cream 
will give you its exact percentage in the milk without any guess 
work. 

Milk — to preserve — Provide bottles, which must be perfectly 
clean, sweet, and dry; draw the milk from the cow into the bottles, 
and as they arf^ filled, immediately cork them well up, and fasten the 
corks with pack-thread or wire. Then spread a little straw at the 
bottom of a boiler, on which place bottles with straw between them, 
until the boiler contains a sufficient quantity. Fill it up with cold 
water; heat the water, and as soon as it begins to boil, draw the fire, 
and let the whole gradually cool. When quite cold, take out the 
bottles and pack them in saw-dust, in hampers, and stow them in the 
coolest part of the house. Milk preserved in this manner, and al- 
lowed to remain even eighteen months in the bottles, will be as sweet 
as when first milked from the cow. 

Mirrors — to clean. — Cleaning mirrors is an easy operation when 
rightly understood. The greatest care should be taken in cleaning 



300 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W, 

to use only the softest articles, lest the glass should be scratched. It 
should first be dusted with a feather brush ; then washed over with a 
sponge dipped in spirits to remove the fly spots ; after this it should 
be dusted with the powder blue in a thin muslin bag, and finally pol- 
ished with an old silk handkerchief. 

Mirrors — to repair. — To repair a damaged mirror : Pour upon a 
sheet of tin-foil about three drams of quicksilver to the square foot 
of foil. Rub smartly with a piece of buckskin until the foil becomes 
brilliant. Lay the glass upon a flat table, face downward; place the 
foil upon the damaged portion of the glass, lay a sheet of paper over 
the foil, and place upon it a block of wood or a piece of marble with 
a perfectly fiat surface; put upon it sufficient weight to press it down 
tight; let it remain in this position a few hours. The foil will ad- 
here to the glass. 

Mirrors — to care for. — The strong light of the sun should never 
be allowed to fall directly upon a mirror. The amalgam or union of 
tin-foil and mercury which is spread on glass to form a looking-glass 
is easily ruined by the direct continued exposure to the solar rays, 
causing the glass to look misty. 

Miscellaneous Items. — Cream of tartar rubbed upon soiled white 
kid gloves clean them well. 

A fine comb loosens the dead skin of the scalp just as friction rubs 
off the scarf skin of the body. 

Grained wood should be washed with cold tea. 

Sour milk removes iron rust from white goods. 

Try pure benzine to remove stains from hair-cloth furniture. 

When washing oil-cloths, put a little milk in the last water they are 
washed with. This will keep them bright and clean longer than clear 
water. 

Furniture needs cleaning as much as other wood-work. It may be 
washed with warm soap-suds, quickly wiped dry and then rubbed 
with an oily cloth. 

To make silk which has been wrinkled appear exactly like new, 
sponge it on the surface with a weak solution of gum arable or white 
glue, and iron on the wrong side. 

A paste maci/e of whiting and benzine will clean marble, and one 
made of whiting and chloride of soda spread and left to dry (in the 
sun if possible) on the marble will remove spots. 

Single cream is cream that has stood on the milk twelve hours V 
is best for tea and coffee.' 

In boiling eggs put them in boiling water. It will prevent the yolk 
from coloring black. 

In making a crust of any kind, do not melt the lard in flour. Melt- 
ing will injure the crust. 

To beat the white of eggs quickly put in a pinch of salt. The 
cooler the eggs the quicker they will froth. Salt cools and also 
freshens them. 

There is a greenness in onions and potatoes that renders them hard 



PFI/A T E VER V ONE SHOULD KNOW. 301 

to digest. For health's sake put them m warm v/ater for an hour be- 
fore cooking. 

A few dried or preserved cherries, with stones out, are the very 
best thing possible to garnish sweet dishes. 

Double cream stands on its milk twentj^-four hours, and cream for 
butter frequently stands forty-eight hours. 

Cod-liver oil contains iodine and bromide. 

There are 174,000,000 air cells in the lungs. 

The nearer the rain cloud is to the earth the larger the drops. 

Soda put into the sea water makes it fit for washing clothes. 

Glauber is the sulphate of soda of modern chemists. 

Meat immersed in molasses has been preserved for months. 

Cucumber peelings are said to be a sure cure for cockroaches. 

The distilled juice of the cocoa tree forms the well-known arrak. 

A small piece of paper or linen moistened with turpentine and put 
into the wardrobe or drawers for a single day at a time, two or three 
times a year, is a preventative against moths. 

To take machine oil out of white cotton goods, rub on spirits of 
turpentine before washing. 

Benzine and common clay will clean marble. 

Some ingenious man in Rhode Island has discovered a use for the 
despised milk-weed. Its seeds yield a finer oil than linseed. Its 
gum is as good as India rubber, and its floss resembles Irish poplin 
when spun. 

Plug up mice holes with soap. The mice will not go through. 

Camphor placed in drawers or trunks will prevent mice from doing 
them any injury. 

Jelly molds should be greased with cold butter. When you wish to 
remove the jelly or pudding, plunge the mold into hot water, remove 
quickly, and the contents will come out in perfect form and without 
any trouble. 

Mites in Cheese — to destroy, — i. These are at all times better 
avoided than destroyed, for when they have become very numerous 
they do a great deal of damage in a short time. To avoid mites the 
best plan seems to be to leave the cheese exposed to the air, and to 
brush it occasionally; some prefer wrapping the cheese in a buttered 
paper, but the former plan, we think, is the best. When mites have 
become very numerous, they may be killed by suspending the cheese 
by a piece of wire or string, and dipping it for a moment into a pail 
of boiling water. The boiling water will kill all the mites, and do 
no harm to the cheese unless it is left in it too long. 

2. Cheese kept in a cool larder or cellar, with a cloth rung out of 
clean, cold water constantly upon it, will never have mites in it, or if 
it has, this will soon destroy them, and also greatly improve the 
cheese, keeping it always moist. 

Mittens — to knit. — For the hand cast on sixty stitches, and widen 
at one end every time you knit across until you have widened twelve 
stitches, knit plain four times across, narrow down twelve stitches 



302 WHA T E VER V ONE SHOULD KNO W. 

widen twelve stitches, narrow twelve, and you have the head of the 
mitten. Bind off and sew it off, leaving a space for the thumb to be 
sewed in. For the thumb cast on eighteen stitches and widen at 
both ends — at the top widen five stitches, knit two plain, then narrow 
five, but at the other end of the needle widen continuously, as this is 
the gore that runs toward the wrist. When one-half of the thumb 
has been knitted begin to narrow at this end, Avhile you repeat the 
widening and narrowing at the top. When the thumb is knitted bind 
off all but six stitches — knit a little square with them for a gore be- 
tween the thumb and hand. Sew up, and then sew into the space 
left in the hand. The wrist may be finished as long as wanted, 
either by knitting or crocheting. This number of stitches makes a 
medium sized mitten in Saxony yarn, and, of course, is to be varied 
according to the size of the yarn used. 

Mittens (Silk) — for gentlemen. — Four No. i8 needles, three half 
ounce balls of knitting silk. Cast on seventy-eight stitches; knit two 
and purl two round the needles till there is about an inch and a half 
of webbing; then knit plain once around, knit to the middle of the 
needle, seam one, make one, knit one, make one, seam one. Knit 
plain, always seaming the seam stitch, and every sixth or seventh 
row make a stitch inside the seam stitch as directed until there are as 
many stitches between the seams as there are in the other needles 
(twenty-six). Slip these stitches on a thread; tie the ends. Cast on 
eight or ten stitches between the seams and knit around plain till the 
mitten reaches the nail of the third rows, narrow and knit two rows 
plain, narrow and knit one row, then narrow every time till all the 
stitches but two are knit. Draw the end of the silk through these 
stitches and fasten securely; a fine darning needle is the best thing to 
do it with. 

For the thumb take the stitches ofif the thread and take up the eight 
or ten stitches made between the seams. Knit once around plain, 
then knit two together of the made stitches every time around till 
they are all taken up. Then knit round and round till the thumb is 
long enough. Narrow it off by knitting two together at the begin- 
ning of each needle till it can be finished as the hand. These direc- 
tions are equally good for yarn mittens, changing the size of the 
needles and the number of stitches according to the size of the yarn 
used. 

Mock Terrapin — a supper dish. — Half a calf's liver, season, fry 
brown. Hash it, not very fine, dust thickly with flour, a teaspoonful 
of mixed mustard, as much cayenne pepper as will lie on a half dime; 
two hard eggs, chopped fine, a lump of butter as large as an (t^^, a 
teacupful of water. Let it boil a minute or two. Cold veal will do if 
liver is not liked. 

Money Maxims. — When a mortgage on a farm is so heavy that 
the farmer never tries to lessen or lift it, the sooner he finds a smaller 
place the better. 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W, 303 

If you want to understand fully the meaning of the old adage, " A 
fool and his money are soon parted," buy a lottery ticket. 

In whatever you undertake form a plan and stick to it, working like 
a gimlet to a point. 

All kinds of useful employments are equally honorable. 

Every man starting in life should consider what his physical make, 
tastes, education, habits of thinking and of life, fit him for, and hav- 
ing decided, that should be his life work, and no consideration of 
assumed respectability should cause him to turn from the bench or 
forge to sermons or briefs, unless his judgement convinces him that 
for the new field of action he has a natural aptitude or predilection. 

It don't pay to fold your hands and wait for a fortune to fall into 
your lap. Twenty men remain hopelessly poor waiting for a fortune 
to fall into their lap, where one is made rich by the longed-for trans- 
action of the dricd-up uncle or grandfather. 

Moss on Trees — to destroy. — Paint them with whitewash made of 
quicklime and wood ashes. 

Mosquitoes — to protect from. — Quassia is used in medicine as a 
powerful tonic, and the chips are sold by chemists from fifteen to 
twenty-five cents per pound. The tree is indigenous to the West 
Indies and to South America. A young friend of mine, severely bit- 
ten by mosquitoes, and unwilling to be seen so disfigured, sent for 
quassia chips, and had boiling water poured upon them. At night, 
after washing, she dipped her hands into the quassia water, and left 
it to dry on her face. This was a perfect protection, and continued 
to be so whenever applied. At the approach of winter, when flies and 
gnats get into houses, and sometimes bite venomously, a grandchild 
of mine, eighteen months old, was thus attacked. I gave the nurse 
some of my weak solution of quassia to be left dry on his face, and 
he was not bitten again. It is inocuous to children, and it may be a 
protection also against bed insects, which I have not had the oppor- 
tunity of trying. When the solution or the quassia is strong it is well 
known to be an active fly poison, and is mixed with sugar to attract 
flies, but this is not strong enough to kill at once. 

Mosquitoes — to get rid of. — Mosquitoes, says somebody, love beef 
blood better than they do any that flows in the veins of human kind. 
Just put a couple of generous pieces on plates near your bed at night, 
and you will sleep untroubled by these pests. In the morning you 
will find them full and stupid with the beef blood, and the meat sucked 
as dry as a cork. 

Mosquito Remedy. — To clear a sleeping-room of mosquitoes, take 
a piece of paper rolled around a lead-pencil to form a case, and fill 
this with very dry Pyrethrum powder (Persian insect powder) put- 
ting in a little at a time, and pressing it down with the pencil. This 
cartridge, or cigarette, may be set in a cup of sand to hold it erect. 
An hour before going to bed the room is to be closed, and one of 
these cartridges burned. A single cartridge will answer for a small 



304 WI/A T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

room, but for a large one two are required. Those who have tried 
this find that it effectually disposes of the mosquitoes. 

Moths — protection against. — In May the clothes moth begins to 
fly about our I'ooms. It isasmall, light, buff-colored *' miller, "dainty 
an i beautiftil on close inspection. But it is necessary to keep a sharp 
lookout for the safety of our furs and flannels, and we must wage war 
upon it. In the first place, we must carefully put away everything 
we can, upon which it \<!i\\ lay its eggs. If we pack away our furs 
and flannels early in May, before the moth has begun to lay its eggs, 
and leave them in boxes or bags so tight that the flying moih cannot 
squeeze in, no further precaution is necessary. Clean paper bags are 
recommended for this purpose — those used for flour meal bags. They 
should be without holes or openings anywhere. These bags, when 
filled and closed firmly, may be put away on closet shelves or in 
loose boxes, without danger to their contents, so far as moths are 
concerned, without need of camphor or other strong odors to drive 
moths away. Furs are usually sold in boxes in v>hich they may be 
kept. Beat them well when you finally put them away for the sea- 
son. If you delay putting them away until June, examine the 'urs 
well, and shake and beat them very thoroughly, in order that any 
moth eggs that may possibly have been laid in them may be thor- 
oughly removed oi killed. Furs sealed up early in May need no 
camphor or tobacco or other preventive. Muff and tippet boxes 
should be tied up securely in bags, or made safe by mending holes 
and pasting a strip of paper around the junction of the cover with 
the box below, so as to close all openings. Woolen garments must 
not hang in closets through the summer, in parts of the country 
where moths abound. They should be packed away in tight trunks 
or boxes, or sealed up in bags. Woolen blankets must be well 
shaken and carefully put away, unless they are in daily use. Early 
in June the larvae of the moth begin their ravages, and now unless 
you dwell in places where moths are not found, look sharp, or you 
will find some precious thing that you have forgotten — some good 
coat unused for a few weeks, or the woolen cover of a neglected 
piano, already more or less riddled by the voracious moths. It is 
their nature to eat until they have grown strong enough to retire 
from the eating business and go into the chrysalis condition. 

Some things cannot be well packed away in light boxes and bags, 
and among these it is well to scatter small lumps of camphor or clip- 
pings of Russian leather.- Some use tobacco, though I think camphor 
is usually preferred. It is said that powdered black pepper scattered 
under the edge of carpets will preserve them from attacks. 

Moths in Carpets. — Moths will work in carpets in rooms that are 
kept warm in winter as well as in the summer. A sure method of re- 
moving the pests is to pour strong alum water on the floor to the dis- 
tance of half a yard around the edges before laying the carpets. 
Then once or twice during the season sprinkle dry salt over the car- 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 305 

pet before sweeping. Insects do not like salt, and sufficient adheres 
to the carpet to prevent their alighting upon it. 

Moths in Carpets — to kill. — Untack your carpet, turn it back a 
half yard all around the room, wash the boards with a saturated solu- 
tion of camphor, putting it on with a brush — a paint brush is good, 
then lay the carpet back in its proper place, and put over it a towel 
wrung out of water and camphor, and iron it thoroughly with a real 
hot iron so as to steam it through and through, this will kill the in- 
sects and all their larvae. 

Moth Preventive. — A very pleasant perfume, and also preventive 
against moths, may be made of the following ingredients . Take of 
cloves, carraway seeds, nutmeg, mace, cinnamon and Tonquin 
beans, of each one ounce; then add as much Florentine orris-root as 
will equal the other ingredients put together; Grind the whole well 
to powder, and then put it in little bags, among your clothes, etc. 

Moths in Feather Beds. — If you are troubled with moths in your 
feather beds, boil the feathers in water for a short time; then put 
them in sacics and dry them, working them with the hands all the 
time. 

Moths — to prevent the damage of. — Furs, flannels and woolen 
goods, when laid by for any time, are very liable to injury from 
moths. Most persons may have noticed at times in their houses a 
small, light brown-colored moth, and another with black and white 
wings; both these are very dangerous inmates. Whenever they are 
seen they should be destroyed. But no articles of fur, flannel and 
woolen fabric should be left long without being taken out and shaken 
or brushed. They should always be well aired before they are put 
away. If a few bitter apples, which can be bought at the chemists, 
are enclosed in muslin bags, and put into the drawers or closets, no 
moth will ever come near them. 

Moth Patches — to remove. — Moth patches may be removed from 
the face by the following remedy; Into a pint bottle of rum put a 
teaspoonful of flour of sulphur. Apply this to the patches once a 
day, and they will disappear in two or three weeks. 

Mother of Pearl — to clean. — Mother of pearl may be polished 
with finely powdered pumice-stone which has been washed to sepa- 
ate the impurities and dirt, and then finished with putty powder and 
.vater applied by a rubber, which will produce a fine gloss. 

Mother cf Pearl Work. — This delicate substance requires great 
care in its workmanship, but it may be cut with the aid of saws, files 
and drills, with the aid of muriatic or sulphuric acid, and it is polish- 
ed by colcothar, or the brown-red oxide of iron left after the distilla- 
tion of the acid from sulphate of iron. In all ornamental Avork, 
where pearl is said to be used, for fiat surfaces, such as inlaying, 
mosaic work, etc., it is not real pearl, but mother of pearl that is 
used. 

Mountain Ash Berries — to preserve. — Mountain ash berries are 
very showy, and would be of great use in holiday decoration were 



3o6 WIIA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

they not ripe and away long before winter. If gathered when ripe, 
they shrivel and become discolored long before they are wanted for 
use. They may be preserved in perfection if the clusters arc covered 
with strong brine. Stick a pin here, and try it next autumn, not only 
on the berries of the mountain ash, but on a number of other brilliant 
and perishable fruits. Let us pickle the berries. 

Mouse-trap — cheap and good. — Take the -bowl of a clean clay 
pipe and fill it with cheese; put it under the edge of a glass tumbler 
in such a manner that a slight touch will cause the tumbler to slip off 
— the bait and mouse of course underneath. This arrangement will 
catch more mice than any trap I ever saw, at the cost of one cent. 

Mouth Wash. — Proof spirits, one quart; borax and honey, of each 
one ounce; gum myrrh, one ounce; red sanders wood, one ounce. 
Rub the honey and borax well together in a mortar, then gradually 
add the spirit, the myrrh and sanders wood, and macerate fourteen 
days. 

Mucilage — to make. — i. To make good mucilage, take equal parts 
of gum arable and gum tragacanth, and add sufficient water to dis- 
solve; add a couple of cloves, and you have good, cheap mucilage. 

2. This is generally made of water and gum arable. An excellent 
mucilage can also be made with one tablespoonful of common dry 
starch boikd in a teacupful of water. 

Muffs — for the feet. — A nice present for any one who has to get 
out of bed at night in order to tend to small children or an invalid is 
a pair of foot-muffs. They are of clouded zephyr, knit on wooden 
needles, garter fashion Forty stitches are set up, and the knitting 
proceeds back and forth across the needles, until the strip is about ten 
inches long. Bind it off, and double it together, and make it into a 
bag, whole at the bottom, and with a seam at each side. The seams 
are crocheted together, or may be loosely sewed with zephyr, like that 
used in knitting. With a coarse crochet needle make loops around 
the top of the bag, crocheting a long stitch into every third stitch 
around the bag, and joining them together by chain-stitch. These 
loops are for a rubber tape about ten inches long. Crochet scallops 
around the top, as ornamental as you like. This bag does not look 
much like boot, shoe, or slipper, but put it on your foot and it an- 
swers nicely for a foot warmer. The number of stitches required 
would depend upon the size of the needles. The knitting should be 
loose and elastic. 

Muffins (Graham). — To three cups of self-raising Graham flour, 
rub in one large spoonful of shortening, and two spoonfuls of mo- 
lasses, making a thick batter. Bake in a quick oven, in iron molds 
or muffin-rings. By simply mixing self-raising Graham flour and 
cold water, and baking as above, an excellent and healthful article of 
food for dyspeptics is produced. One recommemled and used at 
most of the water-cure and health establishments throughout the 
country. In making bread or cake, the smaller the mass or loaf the 
better — about a pound or so is best — so as to allow a thorough baking 



WIT A T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W, 307 

in a short time. Bake in a hot oven immediately after mixing; the 
oven should be ready when you begin to mix. 

Muffins (Graham). — One quart of Graham flour, two teaspoonfuls 
of baking-powder, a piece of butter the size of a walnut, one t.g^„ one 
tablespoonful of sugar, one-half teaspoonful of salt, milk enough to 
make a batter as thick as for griddle-cakes. 

Muffins — of granulated wheat. — Are made of three cupfuls of 
■ranulated wheat, four of sugar, two of cream tartar, one of soda, 
one of salt, two cupfuls of milk, two-thirds cupful of water, two eggs. 
Mix all the dry ingredients together; beat the eggs Hghc and add the 
milk to them ; stir this on the dry ingredients, and bake half an hour 
in a buttered muffin-pan. 

Muffins (Hominy). — Two and one-half cups of soft-boiled hominy, 
one quart of sweet milk, three eggs beaten well, a large tablespoonful 
of melted butter, a tablespoonful of sugar, a little salt, and a large 
cupful of flour with two teaspoonfuls of baking powder sifted with it. 
Mix well before adding flour, beat the flour quickly, and bake in hot 
muffin rings. 

Muffins (Mush). — Cold mush is not a very promising mixture to 
the eye, but when thinned with milk and thickened with a little wheat 
flour and eggs, in the proportion of four to a quart, it makes very 
good muffins. 

Muffins (Raised). — One pint of warm milk, one-half cake com- 
pressed yeast or one-half cupful of liquid yeast, one quart of flour, 
one tablespoonful of butter, two eggs, one teaspoonful of salt. Beat 
the eggs well, and add them and the salt, yeast and butter to the 
milk; stir gradually into the flour; beat until the batter is light and 
smooth; let it rise four hours in a warm place. Fill buttered muffin 
pans two thirds full, let them stand in a warm place until the pans 
are full, and then bake half an hour. In case you do not have much 
time to let them rise, use double the quantity of yeast. 

Mumps. — This disease, most common among children, begins with 
soreness and stiffness in the side of the neck. Soon a swelling of the 
paratoid gland takes place, which is painful and continues to increase 
for four or five days, sometimes making it difficult to swallow, or 
open the mouth. The swelling sometimes comes on one side at a 
time, but commonly upon both. There is often heat and sometimes 
fever, with a dry skin, quick pulse, furred tongue, constipated bow- 
els, and scanty and high-colored urine. The disease is contagious. 

Treatment. — Keep the face and neck warm, and avoid taking cold. 
Drink warm herb teas, and if the symptoms are severe, four to six 
grains of Dover's powder; or if there is costiveness, a slight physic, 
and observe a very simple diet. If the disease is aggravated by tak- 
ing cold, and is very severe, or is translated to other glands, physic 
must be used freely, leeches applied to the swelling, or cooling poul- 
tices. Sweating must be resorted to in this case. 

Mushrooms — to pickle. — Choose small white mushrooms; they 
should be but one night's growth. Cut off the roots and rub the 



3o3 JVIIA T EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

mushrooms clean with a bit of flannel and salt; put them in a jar, 
allowing to every quart of mushrooms one ounce each of salt and 
ginger, half an ounce of whole pei)per, eight blades of mace, a bay 
leaf, a strip of lemon rind and a wineglassful of sherry; cover the jar 
close, and let it stand on the stove, so as to be thoroughly heated and 
on the point of boiling; so let it remain a day or two, till the liquor is 
absorbed by the mushrooms and spices; then cover them with hot 
vinegar, close them Jiguin, and stand till it just comes to a boil; then 
take them away from the fire. When they are quite cold divide the 
mushrooms and spice into wide-mouthed bottles, fill them up with the 
vinegar, and tie them over. In a week's time, if the vinegar has 
shrunk so as not entirely to cover the mushrooms, add cold vinegar. 
At the top of each bottle put a teaspoonful of salad or almond oil; 
cork close, and di]) in bottle resin. 

Mushrooms -to select. — Whenever a fungus is pleasant in flavor 
and odor it may be considered wholesome; if, on the contrary, it have 
an offensive smell, a bitter, astrmgent, or styptic taste, or even if it 
leave an unpleasant flavor in the mouth, it should not be considered 
fit for food. The color, figure, and texture of these vegetables do not 
afford any characters on which we can safely rely; yet it may be re- 
marked that in color the pure yellow, gold color, bluish pale, dark or 
luster brown, wine red, or the violet, belong to many that are escu- 
lent; while the pale or sulphur yellow, bright or blood-red, and the 
greenish belong to few but the poisonous. The safe kinds have most 
frequently ii compact, brittle texture; the flesh is white; they grow 
more readily in open places, such as dry pastures and waste lands, 
than in places humid or shaded by wood. In general, those should 
be suspected which grow in caverns and subterranean passages, on 
animal matter undergoing putrefaction, as well as those whose flesh 
is soft and watery. 

Mushrooms (Stewed). — Cut off the ends of the stalks, and pare 
neatly some middle sized or button mushrooms, and put them into a 
basin of water with the juice of a lemon as they are done. When all 
are prepared, take them from the water with the hands to avoid the 
sediment, and put them into a stew-pan with a little fresh butter, 
white j)epper, salt, and a little lemon juice; cover the pan close, and 
let them stew gently for twenty minutes or half an hour; then thicken 
the butter with a spoonful of flour, and add gradually sufficient 
cream, or cream and milk, to make the same about the thickness of 
good cream. Season the sauce to palate, adding a little pounded 
mace or grated nutmeg. Let the whole stew gently until the mush- 
rooms are tender. Remove every particle of butter which may be 
floating on the toj^ before serving. 

Muslin — ways to bleach. — For every five pounds dissolve twelve 
ounces chloride of linu- in a small cjuantity of soft boiling water. 
When cold strain into it enough water to cover the goods. Boil 
them fifteen mimUes in strong soap-suds, wring out in clear cold 
water, then put the goods in the chloride of lime solution from ten to 



WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 309 

thirty minutes, with frequent airiuKs; rinse well and rlry the pfoods; 
then scald in clear soft water and dry. An excellent lileachinjj fluid 
is made by boiling together one j^allon of water, two ounces of pearl- 
ash, two ounces salts of tartar, and a quarter of a pound of hard soap. 
One i)int of this mixture is to be put into one tub of clothes, which 
should l>e soaked over night and washed as usual the next day, 
'I'hose who have ])lenty of sour milk may bleach muslin in the fol- 
lowing manner Jioil thick sour milk, strain it into a stone pot, and 
ihen j)tit ifi what(!ver is to be bleachefi; let it remain there a fevi 
days, turning and airing it thrice a day, wring out, wash in cold sf>ft 
water, and sjxrad in the hot sun. J^cpeat the process if necessary. 

Mustard — to make. — Mustard should always be made in small 
quantities, fr(;sh as required. It soon spoils by keeping. Put the 
quantity required into a teacup, and stir in the boiling water till it is 
of the proper consistency, and perfectly smf)Oth. It should never be 
made in the musiard-fxH in which it is to be brought to th<; table. The 
French mix mustard with vinegar instead of water, and som(! [)ersons 
add salt; but good Durham mustard is best made i)lain. Milk, with 
the addition of a little cream, if used instead of water, is said to take 
away all bitterness and to impart great softness Ui mustard. 

Mustard — to mix. — 1. To two sj)oonfuliw>f mustard add one tca- 
Kpoonfid of salt, two of sugar, and vinegar enough to mix in a very 
stiff paste. Then add sufficient boiling water to make it of i)roper 
consistency for table use. 

2. Mustard should be mixed with water that has been boiled and 
allowed to cool. Hot water destroys its essential qualities, and raw 
cold water mjght cause it to ferment. Put the mustard in a cup with 
a small i)in( h of salt, and mix with it very gradually sufficient boil- 
ing water to mak(; it drojjfrom the spoon without becoming watery. 

Musty Flour —to correct. — Carbonate of magnesia, three pcnjnds; 
flout, seven hutidred and sixty-five j^ounds; mix. This improves l>ad 
fh>ur, causing it to become more wholesome, i^rodui ing lighter and 
])etter l>read than when alum is used, and absorbs and dissipates the 
musty smell. 

Mutton (Harricot). — Take a'loin of mutton, cut it into small chops, 
season it with ground pepi)er, allspice, and salt; let it stand a night 
and then fry it. Have good gravy well seascmed with flour, butter, 
catsup and jxrppcr, if necessary. Hoil turnii)s antl carrots, cut them 
small, and add to the mutton stewed in the gravy, with the yolks of 
hard boiled eggs, and forced meat balls. 

Mutton (Roast). — The loin, haunch, and saddle of mutton and 
lamb must be done the same as beef. All other parts must be roasted 
with a quick, clear fire; baste it when you put it down, and dredge it 
with a little flour just before you take it uj). A leg of mutton of six 
pounds will re(|uire (jne hour to roast before u quick fire. 

Nails — to whiten. — Diluted sulphuric acid, two drams; tincture 
of myrrh, one dram; spring water, four ounces. Mix. First 



3IO WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

cleanse the nails with white soap, and then dip the fingers into the 
wash. 

Napery. — Every housekeeper feels the need of at least one set of 
handsome table linen that shall always be ready for company occa- 
sions. Fringed and embroidered damask tablecloths are very ex- 
pensive, but I have seen a tablecloth in a mountain farmhouse that 
was pretty without being costly. The material was good linen sheet- 
ing with a fringe raveled out and tied by the daughter of the owner. 
Above the fringe was a running pattern, not exactly a vine, but close- 
ly set groups of leaves and small fruits of various kinds, done very 
sketchily in outline work, which is simply long back stitching, in 
colored thread, crewel or silk. The work I refer to was indelible 
cotton of various shades. In the center was a large June apple with 
leaves. From the same linen, which, as it was bought, was of course 
too wide for a table cover, small square napkins had been cut off 
and finished with a narrow fringe. In the center of each was work- 
ed patterns of fruit, a bunch of grapes on one, a pear on another and 
berries of different kinds on others. The designs were all taken with 
the help of transfer paper from agricultural papers and seed catalogues, 
and the outlining is such rapid work that two or three napkins could 
be embroidered in an afternoon. Kate Greenaway patterns, copied 
from " Under the Window," and other children's books, or even 
from advertising cards, would be as pretty as fruit designs, and easy 
to execute. If they are used, the patterns on the tablecloth should 
correspond. 

Napkin Ring — to crochet. — Use cotton twine, of a quality be- 
tween the common wrapping twine and macrame thread. It is 
smoother and harder twisted than the common white twine, yet not 
so stiff as the macrame. Use a small steel needle and crochet rather 
tight and firm. i. Make a chain of forty stitches. Join the ends. 
2. One chain. (Draw thread through the two upper threads of first 
stitch in first row, then through the two stitches on the needle, thus 
making a single crochet). Finish the row in single crochet, 3. Like 
the second row. 4. Five chain, one double crochet into the fourth 
stitch of third row (three chain, one double crochet into the fourth 
stitch in third row from last double crochet). Repeat between par- 
enthesis until you have finished the row, but at the end, instead of 
one double crochet, catch it into the second stitch of fine chain. 5. 
Same as second row. 6. Same as second row. 7. Two chain, three 
doul)le crochet into the first stitch of sixth row (skip three stitches in 
sixth row and four double crochet into the next stitch). Repeat be- 
tween parenthesis until you finish the row, 8. (Five double crochet 
into the middle of four double crochet in seventh row, one single 
crochet into the end of four double crochet in seventh row). Re- 
peat between parenthesis until the row is finished, then break off the 
thread. 9. Tie the thread on to the end where you first began, and 
make two rows on this edge like the seventh and eight rows. Make 
some very thick flour starch and starch your ring, rubbing well into 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHOULD KNO W, 311 

the twine, then pull into the shape of an hour glass and dry. Re- 
peat the starching two or three times until it is perfectly stiff. When 
thoroughly dry give it a coat of unbleached shellac. Weave ribbon 
into the open meshes in the middle, and finish with a knot. 

Nausea — to relieve. — The following drink for relieving sickness of 
the stomach is said to be very palatable and agreeable. Beat up one 
^g^ very v/ell, say for twenty minutes, then add fresh milk, one pint; 
water, one pint; sugar to make it palatable; boil, and get it cool; 
drink when cold. If it becomes curds and whey, it is useless. 

Neck (Enlarged) — to cure. — To cure enlarged neck take two table- 
spoonfuls of salt, two of borax, and two of alum; dissolve in two of 
water, and apply three times a day for three days. 

Nervousness. — This unhealthy state of system depends upon gen- 
eral debility. It is often inherited from birth, and as often brought 
on by excess of sedentary occupation, overstrained employment of 
the brain, mental emotion, dissipation, and excess. The nerves con- 
sist of a structure of fibers or cords passing through the entire body, 
branching off from, and having a connection with each other, and 
finally centers on the brain. They are the organs of feeling and sen- 
sation of every kind, and through them the mind operates upon the 
body. It is obvious, therefore, that what is termed the "nervous 
system" has an important part in the bodily functions; and upon 
them not only much of the health, but happiness, depends. 

Treatment. — The cure of nervous complaints lies rather in moral 
than in medical treatment. For, although much good may be effect- 
ed by tonics, such as bark, quinine, etc., there is far more benefit to 
be derived from attention to diet and regimen. In such cases, solid 
food should preponderate over liquid, and the indulgence in warm 
and relaxing fluids should be especially avoided; plain and nourish- 
ing meat, as beef or mutton, a steak or chop, together v/ith half a pint 
of bitter ale or stout, forming the best dinner. Cocoa is preferable to 
tea; vegetables should be but sparingly eaten. Sedentary pursuits 
should be cast aside as much as possible, but where they are compul- 
sory, every spare moment should be devoted to out-door employ- 
ment and brisk exercise. Early bedtime and early rising will prove 
beneficial, and the use of the cold shower bath is excellent. Gym- 
nastic exercises, fencing, horse-riding, rowing, dancing, and other 
pursuits which call forth the energies, serve also to brace and invigor- 
ate the nervous system. It will also be as well to mingle with soci- 
ety; frequent public assemblies and amusements, and thus dispel that 
morbid desire for seclusion and quietude which, if indulged in to ex- 
cess, renders a person unfitted for intercourse with mankind, and 
materially interferes with advancement in life. 

Net — how to wash. — Net should be washed in a lather of fine 
soap and warm water, then dipped in water very slightly blued, and 
again dipped in either sugar and water, weak starch, or gum arable 
and water ; it must be pinned out to dry after being well clapped with 
the hand. This clapping is one of the great secrets of clear starch- 



3 1 2 WHA T E VER V GATE SHO ULD KNO W. 

ing ; nothing clears nets, muslins, etc., better, for it removes the 
sticky portion of the stiffening matter without lessening its crispness. 
Net should be ironed on the wrong side with a very hot iron, which 
brings up the stiffness ; but ironing renders tarlatan limp. 

Neuralgia Cures. — A noted cure for neuralgia is hot vinegar va- 
porized. Heat a flat-iron sufficiently hot to vaporize the vinegar; 
cover this with some woolen material, which is moistened with vine- 
gar, and <^he apparatus is then applied at once to the painful spot. 
The application may be repeated until the pain disappears 

2. For neuralgia and rheumatism, two tablespoonfuls each of 
beef's gall, laudanum, spirits of turpentine, hemlock oil, half pint al- 
cohol, mix all together. Apply three or four times a day. 

3 A few years ago when in China, I became acquainted with the 
fact of the native, when suffering with facial neuralgia, using oil of 
peppermentv which they lightly applied to the seat of pain with a 
camel's-hair pencil. Since then, in my own practice, I frequently em- 
ploy this oil as a local anaesthetic, not only in neuralgia, but also in 
gout, with remarkably good results. 

4. Neuralgia and toothache are sometimes speedily relieved by ap- 
plying to the wrist a quantity of bruised or grated horseradish, 

5. What is said to be a sure cure for this horrible ailment is nothing 
but a poultice and tea made from the common field-thistle. The 
leaves are macerated and used on the parts affected, as a poultice, 
while a small quantity of the leaves are boiled down to the proportion 
of a quart to a pint, and a small wineglassful of the decoction drank 
before each meal. 

6. Persons troubled with neuralgia will find this a cure, if they try 
it: Two drops of laudanum in half a teaspoonful of warm water, and 
dropped into the ears. It will give immediate relief. 

7. For neuralgia in the head, have a'flannel cap made to fasten under 
the chin; wear three nights; let three nights pass, then put on again 
if necessary. 

8. For neuralgia in the eyebrows, bind a strip of flannel around the 
head; rub the teeth with equal parts of salt and alum, pulverized, on 
a soft, wet bit of linen. 

Neuralgia and Sciatica. — An English officer, who served with dis- 
tinction in the war wfth Napolean, was once laid up in a small village 
in France with a severe attack of sciatica. It so happened that at 
that time, a tinman was being employed at the hotel where he lodged, 
and that this tinman, having been himself a soldier, took an interest 
in the oflScer's case^ and gave him the cure which in this instance 
succeeded immediately and forever, and which I am about to set 
down. It is, at any rate, so simple as to be worth a trial. Take a 
moderate sized potato, rather large than small, and boil it in one 
quart of water. Foment the part affected with the water in which the 
potato has been boiled as hot as it can be borne at night before going 
to bed; then crush the potato and put it on the affected part as a poul- 
tice. Wear this all night, and in the morning heat the water, which 



WIIA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO IV. 313 

should have been preserved, over again, and again foment the part 
with It as hot as can be borne. This treatment must be persevered 
with for several days. It occasionally requires to be continued for as 
much as two or three weeks, but in the shorter or longer time it has 
never yet failed to be successful. 

Neuralgia and Rheumatism — king of oils for. — Burning fluid, 
one pint ; oils of cedar, hemlock, sassafras and origanum, of each two 
ounces ; carbonate of ammonia, pulverized, one ounce ; mix. Direc- 
tions : Apply freely to the nerve and gums around the tooth , and to 
the face in neuralgic pains, by wetting brown paper and laying it on 
the parts, not too long, for fear of blistering ; to the nerves of teeth 
by lint. 

Neuralgia — internal remedy. — Sal ammoniac, one-half dram ; dis- 
solve in water, one ounce. Dose, one tablespoonful every three 
minutes for twenty minutes, at the end of which time, if not before, 
the pain will have disappeared. 

Nickel Plating — to polish. — Take the finest of coal ashes — you 
will fir.d deposits as fine as flour in your stove, and siit through mus- 
lin. Dip a soft cloth in kerosene, then in the ash dust, and rub 
vigorously on the plating. Dry and polish with a woolen cloth. 

Nickel Ornaments — to polish. — Nickel ornaments on stoves, etc., 
may be kept bright by using ammonia and whiting. Mix together in 
a bottle and apply with a cloth. A very little polishing gives a fine 
luster. It is good for silver-plated ware as well. We use pumice 
powder to polish tin pans when we use anything. 

Night Sweats. — Drink freely of cold sage tea; said to be a certain 
remedy ; or, take elixir of vitriol in a little sweetened water. Dose, 
from twenty to thirty drops. 

Nipples (Cracked) — to cure. — Glycerine and tannin, equal weights, 
rubbed together into an ointment, is very highly recommended, as is 
also mutton tallow. 

Nipples <^Sore). — Pour boiling water on nutgalls (oak bark if galls 
cannot be obtained), and when cold, strain it off. and bathe the parts 
with it, or dip the cloth in the tea, and apply it; or twenty grains of 
tannin may be dissolved in an ounce of water, and applied. The 
application of a few drops of collodion to the raw surface is highly 
recommended. It forms, when dry, a perfect coating over the 
diseased surface. 

Nitrous Oxide, or Laughing Gas. — Take two or three ounces of 
nitrate of ammonia in crystals and put it into a retort, taking care 
that the heat does not exceed five hundred degrees; when the crystals 
begin to melt, the gas will be produced in considerable quantities. 
The gas may also be procured, though not so pure, by pouring nitric 
acid, diluted with five or six times it weight of water, on copper filings 
or small pieces of tin. The gas is given out till the acid begins to 
turn brown; the process must then be stopped. 

Nitrate of Silver. — Pure silver, one and one-half ounces; nitric 
acid, one ounce, diluted with water, two ounces; heat by a sand bath 



314 WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W, 

until ebullition ceases, and the water is expelled; then pour into molds. 
This substance must be kept from the light. 

Nose Bleeding — remedies for. — i. While going down Broadway, 
New York, blood commenced running from my nose quite freely. I 
stepped aside and applied my handkerchief, intending to repair to 
the nearest hotel, when a gentleman accosted me, saying: " Just put 
a piece of paper in your mouth, chew it rapidly, and it will stop your 
nose bleeding.' Thanking him rather doubtfully, I did as he sug- 
gested, and the flow of blood ceased almost immediately. I have 
seen the remedy tried since quite frequently, and always with success. 
Doubtless any substance would answer the same purpose as paper, 
the stoppage of the flow of blood being caused, no doubt, by the 
rapid motion of the jaws, and counter action of the muscles and 
arteries connecting the jaws and mouth. 

2. Physicians say that placing a small roll of paper or muslin above 
the fiont teeth, under the upper lip, and pressing hard on the same 
will arrest bleeding from the nose — checking the passage of blood 
through the arteries leading to the nose. 

3. Lint dipped in nettle juice and put up the nostril has been known 
to stay the bleeding of the nose when all other remedies have failed. 
Fourteen or fifteen of the seeds ground into powder and taken daily 
will cure swelling of the neck, known by the name of goitre^ without 
in any way injuring the general health. 

Nutrition in Food. — The following is '* Poussingault's Scale of 
Nutritive Equivalents," and shows how many parts of the various 
articles of food in common use it takes to be equal in nutrition to 
one hundred parts of wheat flour: Wheat flour, one hundred; wheat, 
one hundred and seven; barley meal, one hundred and nineteen; bar- 
ley, one hundred and thirty; white haricots, fifty-six; lentils, fifty- 
seven; white cabbage, eight hundred and ten; oats, one hundred and 
seventeen; rye, one hundred and eleven; rice, one hundred and seven- 
ty-seven; buckwheat, one hundred and eight; maize, one hundred and 
thirty; horse beans, forty-four; peas, sixty-seven; potatoes, three 
hundred and thirteen; carrots, seven hundred and seventy-seven; 
turnips, one thousand, three hundred and thirty-five. 

Oat or Wheat Straw Made Equal to Hay. — Bring ten gallons 
water to a boiling heat; take it off the fire, and add to it at once 
three gallons of linseed unground; let it remain till it gets cold; then 
empty the whole into a cask containing forty-four gallons of cold 
water, and let it remain for forty-eight hours. At the end of that 
time, it will be reduced into a thin jelly, like arrow-root. Spread 
out one-half ton straw, and sprinkle it over regularly with the whole 
of the liquid from the cask. The stock will eat up as clean, and 
keep as fat on it, quantity for quantity, as they would do on hay. 

Oatmeal — hov/ to cook. — Very often this nutritious article of diet 
is objectionable because not properly prepared. When it is to be 
made as food, selec^ithe coarse, recently ground meal. To a coffee- 
cupful add a quart of cold water, and mix in a tin vessel holding at 



WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 315 

least two quarts. The vessel should then be placed in a boiler con- 
taining water and put upon the fire to cook, stirring frequently and 
boiled until dry enough to eat as mush, or the meal is well done. It 
may then be eaten with butter, molasses, milk, cream and sugar, or 
any other dressing that may be preferred. When thus prepared it 
will not have that sickly, salvy consistence that makes it objection- 
able, and people who could not eat it before will now take it with a 
relish. The finer quality of meal is best adapted to making gruel for 
acute diseases. People suffering from habitual constipation will find 
oatmeal once or twice a day a valuable adjunct to other treatment 
and far preferable to Graham. 

^ Oatmeal Diamonds. — Into cold oatmeal mush work enough wheat 
meal (Graham flour) to enable you, when well floured, to roll it out 
one inch thick, and cut into diamonds, say two by three inches. 
Place in a well-floured tin and bake twenty minutes. Serve warm. 
The success of this operation depends largely upon its quickness. 
Much manipulation of the dough makes them hard and tough, but 
when made up rapidly they will be light, tender and toothsome. 

Oatmeal Wafers. — Oatmeal wafers are relished by babies, and 
older children, too. Take a pint of oatmeal and a pint of water, 
with almost a teaspoonful of salt; mix and spread on buttered pans; 
make it just as thin as it is possible, and yet have the bottom of the 
pan covered; bake slowly. 

Oak — spirit graining for. — Two pounds of whiting, quarter of a 
pound of gold size, thinned down with spirits of turpentine; then 
tinge your whiting with Vandyke brown and raw sienna, ground 
fine. Strike out the lights with a fitch dipped in turpentine, tinged 
with a little color to show the lights. If your lights do not appear 
clear, add a little more turpentine. Turpentine varnish is a good 
substitute for the above mentioned. This kind of graining must be 
brushed over with beer, with a clean brush, before varnishing. 
Strong beer must be used for glazing up top-graining and shading. 

Oak — oil for graining. — Grind Vandyke brown in turpentine, add 
as much gold size as will set, and as much soft soap as will make it 
stand the comb. Should it set too quickly, add a little boiled oil. Put 
a teaspoonful of gold size to half a pint of turpentine, and as much 
soap as will lie on a twenty-five cent piece, then take a little soda 
mixed with water and take out the veins. 

Oak Rollers — to prepare the ground for. — Stain your white lead 
with raw sienna and red lead, or with chrome yellow and Venetian 
red ; thin it with oil and turps, and strain for use. When the ground 
work is dry, grind in beer, Vandyke brown, whiting and a little burnt 
sienna, for graining color ; or you may use raw sienna with a little 
whiting, umbers, etc. 

Oak (Old) — to imitate. — To make an exceedingly rich color for the 
imitation of old oak, the ground is a composition of stone ochre or 
orange chrome and burnt sienna ; the graining color is burnt umber 
or Vandyke brown, to darken it a little. Observe that the above, 



3 16 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

colors must be used whether the imitation is in oil or distemper. 
When dry varnish. 

Oak (Pollard) — to imitate. — The ground color is prepared Avith a 
mixture of chrome yellow, vermillion and white lead, to a rich light 
buff. The graining colors are Vandyke brown and small portions of 
raw and burnt sienna and lake ground in ale or beer. Fill a large 
tool vv'ith color spread over the surface to be grained, and soften Avith 
the badger hair brush. Take a moistened sponge betv/een the thumb 
and finger and dapple round and round in kind of knobs, then soften 
very lightly ; then draw a softener from one set of knobs to the other 
while wet, to form a multiplicity of grains, and finish the knots witi^ 
a hair pencil, in some places in thicker clusters than others. When 
dry put the top grain on in a variety of directions, and varnish with 
turps and gold size ; then glaze up with Vandyke and strong ale To 
finish, varnish with copal. 

Odds and Ends. — To cleanse shells, wash them first in cold water, 
and then boiling milk. 

A pinch of common table-salt dissolved in water will relieve a bee- 
sting. 

The powder of a ripe puff-ball is useful in stopping the flow of 
blood after amputation. 

Old boot-tops cut into pieces of the required size, and lined, make 
good thick iron-holders. 

Machine-oil stains can be removed, if, before washing, the spot is 
rubbed with a cloth wet with ammonia. 

Stoves may be looking nicely for some time by rubbing them thor- 
oughly with newspaper every morning. 

To prevent the hair from falling out, wet it thoroughly once or twice 
a week with a weak solution of salt-water. 

Kid boots may be nicely cleaned with a mixture of oil and ink ; 
the oil softens the leather and the ink blackens it. 

A little glue dissolved in skim-milk and water will restore the stiff- 
ness and luster to crape and make it look like new. 

A good powder or snuff which will cure catarrh is made of equal 
parts of gum arable, gum myrrh and bloodroot. 

Red ants maybe exterminated with sprigs of wintergreen or ground- 
ivy ; wormwood will serve the same purpose for black ants. 

Odors from Cooking — to prevent. — Odors from boiling ham, cab- 
bage, onions, etc., may be prevented by putting red pepper pods, or 
pieces of charcoal into the kettle. 

Odors (Offensive) — to destroy. — Copperas, called sulphate of iron, 
dissolved in water, one-fourth of a pound to a gallon, and poured 
into a sink-drain as often as needed will keep it sweet. A little chlo- 
ride of lime, say half a pound to the gallon of water, will have 
equally as good an effect, and neither of these costs but a few cents. 

Oil (Black). — Best alcohol, tincture of arnica, British oil and oil of 
tar, of each two ounces ; and slowly add sulphuric acid, one-half 
ounce. These black oils are getting into extensive use as a liniment, 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 317 

and are indeed valuable, especially in cases attended with much in- 
flammation. 

Oil (Buffalo). — Take the best lard oil and perfume it well with equal 
parts of oil garden lavender and oil lemon. 

Oil (Balm of Gilead). — Useful for cuts and burns, etc. Take a 
half-pint bottle and fill one-third of it with the flowers of the common 
balm of Gilead, lightly packed, and then pour in sweet oil till the 
jottle is nearly full ; shake it occasionally. After a few days it will 
be fit for use, but it is the better for long keeping ; the bottle, how- 
ever, must be closely stopped. 

Oil-Cloths — how to clean. — If you wish to have them look new 
and nice, wash them with soft flannel and lukewarm water, and wipe 
them perfectly dry. If you want them to look extra nice, after they 
are wiped, drop a few spoonfuls of milk over them and rub them with 
a dry cloth. 

Oil (Waterproof) Blacking. — Camphene, one pint; add all the 
India-rubber it will dissolve; curriers' oil, one pint; tallow, seven 
pounds; lampblack, two ounces. Mix thoroughly by heat. 

Oil of Roses. — Olive oil, one pound; attar of roses, fifty drops; oil 
of rosemary, twenty-five drops; mix. Another, roses (hardly opened), 
twelve ounces; olive oil, ten ounces; beat them together in a mortar; 
let them remain for a few days, then express the oil. 

Oil (Macassar). — Olive oil, one pound; oil origanum, one dram; 
oil rosemary, one scruple; mix. 

Oil (Neat's-foot). — After the hair and hoofs have been removed 
from the feet of oxen, they yield, when boiled with water, a peculiar 
fatty matter, which is known as neat's-foot oil; after standing, it de- 
posits some solid fat, which is separated by filtration; the oil then 
does not congeal at thirty-two degrees, and is not liable to become 
rancid. It is often mixed with other oils. The oil is used for various 
purposes, such as harness dressing, oiling tower clocks, etc. 

Oil (Tallow). — The oil is obtained from tallow by pressure. The 
tallow is melted, and when separated from the ordinary impurities by 
subsidence, is poured into vessels and allowed to cool slowly to about 
eighty degrees, when the stearine separates in granules, which may 
be separated from the liquid part by straining through flannel, and is 
then pressed, when it yields a fresh portion of liquid oil. It is used 
in soap manufacture, etc. 

Oil (Lard). — Lard oil is obtained from hog's lard by pressure, 
when the liquid part separates, while the lard itself becomes much 
harder. According to Braconet, lard yields 0.62 of its weight in this 
oil, which is nearly colorless. It is employed for greasing wool, and 
other purposes. 

Oil-paintings — to clean. — i. Oil-paintings on canvas or panel are 
best cleaned by washing with soap and soft water just warm. When 
wiped dry with a soft cloth, they should be rubbed with a warm silk 
handkerchief before the fire. An immediate brightness may be given 



3i8 WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

to any very dull oil-paintings by gently wiping the surface over with 
a fresh-cut onion. 

2. To clean, dissolve a small quantity of salt in stale urine; dip 
a woolen cloth in the mixture, and rub the paintings over with it till 
they are clean; then wash them with a sponge and clean water; dry 
them gradually, and rub them over with a clean cloth. Should the 
dirt not be easily removed by the above application, add a small 
quantity of soft soap. Be very careful not to rub the paintings too 
hard. 

Oil-paintings — to renew. — The blackened lights of old pictures 
may be instantly restored to their original hue by touching them with 
deutoxide of hydrogen diluted with six or eight times iis weight of 
water. The part must be afterward washed with a clean sponge and 
water. 

Oil-cloth — to polish. — Wash it clean in luke-warm water, using a 
scrubbing brush, then rub it with a woolen cloth wrung out of skim- 
milk. 

Oil Liniments. — i. In cases of whooping-cough and some chronic 
bronchitic affections, the following liniment may be advantageously 
rubbed into the chest and along the spine. Spirits of camphor, two 
parts; laudanum, half a part; spirits of turpentine, one part; castile 
soap in powder, finely divided, half an ounce; alcohol, three parts, 
digest the whole together for three days, and strain through linen. 
This liniment should be gently warmed before using. 

2. A powerful liniment for all rheumatic pains, especially when 
affecting the loins, is the following: Camphorated oil and spirits of 
turpentine, of each two parts; water of hartshorn, one part; lauda- 
num, one part; to be well shaken together. 

3. Another very efficient liniment or embrocation, serviceable in 
chronic painful affections, may be conveniently and easily made as 
follows. Take of camphor, one ounce; cayenne pepper, in powder, 
two teaspoonfuls; alcohol, one pint. The whole to be digested with 
moderate heat for ten days, and filtered. It is an active rubificant; 
and after a slight friction with it, it produces a grateful thrilling sen- 
sation of heat in the pained part, which is rapidly relieved. 

Oil Finishes. — i. Linseed oil, sixteen ounces; black resin, four 
ounces, vinegar, four ounces; rectified spirits, three ounces; butter 
of antimony, ten ounces; spirit of salts, two ounces; melt the resin, 
add the oil, take it off the fire, and stir in the vinegar; let it boil for 
a few minutes, stirring it; when cool, put it into a bottle, add the 
other ingredients, shaking all together. 

2. Linseed oil, one pint; oil of turpentine, one-half pint; rectified 
spirits, four ounces; powdered resin, one and one-half ounces; rose 
pink, one-half ounce; mix. 

3. Acetic acid, two drams; oil of lavender, one-half dram; recti- 
fied spirits, one dram; linseed oil, four ounces. 

4. Linseed oil, one pint; alkanet root, two ounces; heat, strain, 
and add lac varnish, one ounce. 



WffA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 319 

5. Linseed oil, one pint; rectified spirits, two ounces; butter of 
antimony, four ounces. 

6 Linseed oil, one gallon; alkanet root, three ounces; rose pink, 
one ounce. Boil them together ten minutes, and strain so that the 
oil be quite clear. 

Oil for Fine Mechanism. — Oil for fine mechanism can be pre- 
pared by putting zinc and led shavings, in equal parts, into good 
Florence olive oil, and placing in a cool place until the oil becomes 
colorless. Unequaled for sewing machines, etc. 

Ointments (Chilblain). — Take of gallnuts, in very fine powder, 
one dram avoirdupois; spermaceti cerate, seven drams; mix, add 
pure glycerine, two drams, and rub the whole to a uniform mass. 
An excellent application to obstinate broken chilblains, particularly 
when used as a dressing. When the parts are very painful, one 
ounce of compound ointment of galls may be advantageously sub- 
stituted for the galls and cerate ordered above. 

Ointment (Green). — Honey and beeswax, each one-half pound; 
spirits of turpentine; oneounce; wintergreen oil and laudanum, each 
two ounces; verdigris, finely pulverized, one-half ounce; lard, one 
and one-half poufid; mix by a stove fire, in a copper kettle, heating 
slowly. 

Ointment (Healing). — Put a little pure beeswax in a pipkin, and 
add some fine olive oil; as it melts, add more, till the mixture as- 
sumes the consistency of butter. This is good for abraded flesh cuts, 
chilblains, or any broken surface, which requires to be healed, not 
drawn. 

Ointment and Pills (Holloway's). — Butter, twenty-two ounces; 
beeswax, three ounces; yellow resin, three ounces; melt; add vine- 
gar of cantharides, one ounce; evaporate, and add Canada balsam, 
one ounce; oil of mace, one-half dram; balsarxi of Peru, fifteen 
drops. Pills : Aloes, four parts; myrrh, jalap, and ginger, of each 
two parts; mucilage to mix. 

Ointment (Itch). — Unsalted butter, one pound; burgundy pitch, 
two ounces; spirits of turpentine, two ounces; red precipitate, one 
and one-fourth ounces; melt the pitch and add the butter, stirring 
well together; then remove from the fire, and when a little cool, add 
the spirits of turpentine, and lastly the precipitate, and stir until 
cold. 

Ointment (Judkin's). — Linseed oil, one pint; sweet oil, two ounces; 
and boil them in a kettle on coals for nearly fpur hours, as warm 
as you can; then have pulverized and mixed borax, one-half 
ounce; red lead, four ounces, and sugar of lead, one and one-half 
ounces; remove the kettle from the fire, and thicken in the powder; 
continue the stirring until cooled to blood heat, then stir in one ounce 
of spirits of turpentine; and now take out a little, letting it get cold, 
and if not then sufficiently thick to spread upon thin soft linen as a 
salve, you will boil again until this point is reached. It is good for 
all kinds of wounds, bruises, sores, burns, white swelling, rheuma- 



320 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

tism, ulcers, sore breasts; and even where there are wounds on the 
inside, it has been used with advantage, by applying a plaster over 
the part. 

Ointment (Magnetic). — i Lard, raisins cut in pieces, and fine-cut 
tobacco, equal weights; simmer well together, then strain and press 
out all from the dregs. This is an excellent ointment for salt-rheum 
and other skin diseases. It is also good for piles, bruises and cuts. 

2, Elder bark spikenard and yellow dock roots, of each one pound; 
boil in two gallons of water down to one; then press the strength 
out of the roots and boil the liquid down to half a gallon; add eight 
pounds of the best resin, one pound of beeswax and tallow enough to 
soften. Roll into rolls, and apply by warming and spreading on 
linen. 

Ointments — for piles. — i. Take carbonate of lead, one-half ounce; 
sulphate of morphia fifteen grains, stramonium ointment, one ounce; 
olive oil, twenty drops. Mix, and apply three times a day, or as the 
pain may require. 

2. Powdered nut-gall, two drams; camphor, one dram; melted wax, 
ten ounces; tincture of opium, two drams. Mix. 

Ointment — for old sores. — Red precipitate, one-half ounce; sugar 
of lead, one-half ounce; burnt alum, one ounce; white vitriol, one- 
quarter ounce, or a little less; all to be very finely pulverized; have 
mutton tallow made warm, one-half pound; stir all in. and stir until 
cool. 

Ointment (Sulphur). — Lard, four ounces; flour of sulphur, one 
and a half ounces; sal ammonia, two drams; essence of lemon, twelve 
drops; make it into an ointment. Will generally cure the itch, and 
has no disagreeable smell. 

Omelet. — Comparatively few of our housekeepers dare attempt an 
omelet, but there is nothing difficult about it. The chief cause of 
failure lies in not having the spider hot enough, or in making an 
omelet too large for the pan. For a spider eight inches in diameter, 
not more than four eggs should be used. For an omelet of this size, 
use four eggs, one teaspoonful of salt, and two tablespoonfuls of 
cream, or in place of that, use milk. A larger omelet, and very good, 
is made with six eggs, a scant teacupful of salt, milk, and pepper. 
Beat the yolks alone to a smooth batter, add the milk, salt and pep- 
per, and lastly, the well-beaten whites. Have the frying-pan very 
hot. Put in a tablespoonful of butter, which should instantly hiss. 
Follow it quickly with the well-beaten mixture, and do not stir this 
after it goes in. Cook over a hot fire, and as the e.^,% sets, loosen it 
from the pan without breaking, to prevent burning. It should cook 
in about ten minutes. When the middle is set, it is a good plan to 
place the pan on the high grate in the oven to brown the top. This is 
not needed if you turn half of the omelet over upon itself before turn- 
ing the whole from the pan upon a hot dish. Eat while hot. 

Omelet — with cold meat. — Almost any cold meat — beef, mutton, 
chicken, may be chopped fine, seasoned a little, spread upon the ome- 



WIIA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 321 

let before it is doubled together, making an excellent dish, and af- 
fording variety. 

Omelets — ^to make. — An omelet should have the yolks and whites 
of the eggs well beaten separately, with a spoonful of milk to each 
^g^ added, with salt and pepper to season, and just before placing in 
a very hot spider, which should have a small piece of butter in it, the 
whites of the eggs should be added to the yolks and milk. They 
ought not to be beaten in, but dipped through and through the yolks, 
etc., then poured into the spider, the part which thickens around the 
edge lifted back to the center in a heap and taken up just before it is 
all set. If the butter was hot enough it will be a delicate brown 
when turned over upon the plate for the table. 

Omelet (Government Clerk's). — The following recipe may be 
found palatable and economical: Take two eggs, beat them well, 
whites and yolks, and one cupful of milk, in which a tablespoonful 
of cornstarch has been dissolved; add a little salt and pepper; have 
butter sufficiently hot in the pan; stir up the omelet while cooking; 
enough for two persons, and no more. 

Omelet (Oyster). — Twelve oysters, if large, double the number if 
small; six eggs, one cup of milk, one tablespoonful of butter, chopped 
parsley, salt and pepper; chop the oysters very fine; beat the yolks 
and whites of the eggs separately, as for nice cake, the whites until 
they stand in a heap. Put three tablespoonfuls of butter in a frying- 
pan, and heat while you are mixing the omelet. Stir the milk in a 
deep dish with the yolks and seasoning. Next add the chopped oys- 
ters, beating them well as you add gradually. When thoroughly 
mixed pour in melted butter, and finally whip in the whites as lightly 
as possible. Have the butter in the pan very hot, and pour in the 
mixture. Do not stir it, but when it begins to stiffen slip a broad- 
bladed knife around the side and cautiously under the omelet, that 
the butter may reach every part. As soon as the center is fairly set, 
and the bottom brown, turn out into a hot dish. Lay the dish bot- 
tom upward over the frying-pan, which must be turned upside down 
dexterously. This brings the brown side of the omelet uppermost. 
This is a delicious breakfast or supper omelet. 

Onions — healthful properties of. — Lung and liver complaints are 
certainly benefitted, often cured, by a free consumption of onions, 
either cooked or raw. Colds yield to them like magic. Don't be 
afraid of them. Taken at night all offense will be wanting by morn- 
ing, and the good effects will amply compensate for the trifling an- 
noyance. Taken regularly they greatly promote the health of the 
lungs and the digestive organs. An extract made by boiling down 
the jaice of onions to a syrup, and taken as a medicine, answers the 
purpose very well, but fried, loastcd or boiled onions are better. 
Onions are a very cheap medicine, within everybody's reach, and 
they are not by any means as " bad to take " as the costly nostrums 
a neglect of their use may necessitate. 

Onions — to peel. — To many persons peeling onions is a most dis- 



322 WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

agreeable operation, and causes the greatest pain in the eyes. All 
this inconvenience may be avoided and as many onions as you 
please be peeled with impunity merely by taking a needle or any 
small piece of polished steel between the teeth during the operation. 
The steel will attract the acid juice of the onion and save the eyes. 

Onions — to pickle. — Choose small round onions remove the skins, 
steep them in strong brine for a week in a stone vessel, pour it off, 
and heat till it boils, then pour on the onions, boiling hot; after 
twenty-four hours drain on a sieve, then put them in bottles, fill up 
over them with strong spiced vinegar boiling hot. cork down im- 
mediately and wax over the cork. In a similar manner are pickled 
mushrooms, cauliflowers, samphires, peas, beans green gooseberries, 
walnuts, red cabbages (without salt, with cold vinegar). Observe 
that the soft and more delicate do not require so much soaking in 
brine as the harder and coarser kinds, and may be often kept by sim- 
ply pouring very strong pickling vinegar on them without the appli- 
cation of heat. 

Onions for Fowls. — Onions are a preventive of and a remedy for 
many diseases to which domestic fowls are liable. For gaps onions 
are the best things that can be fed. Give fowls as many as they will 
eat, chopped fine, as often as three times a week. 

Onions — to sprout. — Pour hot water on the seed, let it remain two 
or three seconds, and they will immediately sprout, and come up 
much earlier. 

Onions — to store. — For storing onions there is no better place 
than a dry, cool, and airy loft, where they can be spread out thinly, 
and often looked over for the removal of those which may have be- 
gun to decay. Warmth and moisture are fatal to the keeping of 
onions, and much handling is almost equally so. 

Opium and its Uses. — Opium is a stimulant, narcotic, and ano- 
dyne Used externally, it acts almost as well as when taken into the 
stomach, and without affecting the head or causing nausea. Applied 
to irritable ulcers in the form of tincture, it promotes their cure and 
allays pain. Clothes dipped in a strong solution, and applied over pain- 
ful bruises, tumors or inflamed joints, allay pain. A small piece of 
solid opium stuffed into a hollow tooth relieves toothache. Two drops 
of the wine of opium dropped into the eye acts as an excellent stim- 
ulant in bloodshot eye, or after long-continued inflammation, it is use- 
ful in strengthening the eye. Applied as a liniment, in combination 
with ammonia or oil or with camphorated spirit, it relieves muscular 
pain. When combined with oil of turpentine it is useful as a lini- 
ment in spasmodic colic. Used internally, it acts as a very powerful 
stimulant, then as a sedative; and finally as an anodyne and narcc^tic, 
allaying pain in the most extraordinary manner, by acting directly 
upon the nervous system. 

In acute rheumatism it is a most excellent medicine, when com- 
bined with calomel and taitarate of antimony; but its exhibition re- 
quires the judicious care cf a medical man. 



WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW, '^^in, 

Doses of the various preparations. — Confection of opium, from five 
grains to half a dram; extract of opium, from one to five grains (this 
is a valuable form, as it does not produce so much after-derange- 
ment of the nervous system as solid opium); pills of soap and opium, 
from five to ten grains; compound ipecacuanha powder (Dover's pow- 
ders), from five to twenty grains, compound kino powder, from five 
to twenty grains; wine of opium, from ten minims to one dram. 

Caution. — Opmm is a powerful poison when taken in too large a 
quantity and therefore should be used with extreme caution. 

Opodeldoc (Liquid). — Warm brandy, one quart; add to it gum 
camphor, one ounce; sal ammoniac, one-quarter of an ounce; oils of 
origanum and rosemary, each one-half ounce; oil wormwood, one- 
quarter ounce: when the oils are dissolved, add six ounces of soft 
soap. 

Oranges — promote health. — A well-known physician said to us 
once: " Let children eat one or two oranges every morning before 
breakfast through the spring season, and they will need no medi- 
cine during the rest of the year." If good for children, why not for 
older people as well? 

Orchards (Old) — to renew. — It is very well known that the reason 
why peach apple, quince and pear orchards gradually grow poorer 
and poorer until they cease to produce at all, is because the potash is 
exhausted from the soil by the plant. This potash must be restored, 
and the most effective way to do it is to use the following compound, 
discovered by a distinguished German chemist: Thirty parts of sul- 
phate of potash, fifteen parts sulphate of magnesia; thirty-five parts 
salt; fifteen parts gypsum (plaster of Paris); five parts chloride of 
magnesia. This should be roughly powdered and mixed and then 
mingled with barnyard manure, or dug in about the roots of the 
trees. From ten to twenty pounds to a tree are quite enough. 

Orchards — to renew. — Early in the spring, plough the entire 
orchard, and enrich the whole soil with a good dressing of compost 
of manure, swamp-muck, and lime; scrape off the old bark with a 
deck-scraper, or a sharp hoe, apply half a bushel of lime, and the 
same of ground charcoal round each tree. Then apply diluted soft 
soap, or strong sop-suds, on the trunks and limbs, as high as a man 
can reach. When the trees are in full bloom, throw over them a good 
proportion of fine slaked lime, and you will reap abundant fruits from 
your labors. 

Orchards — to cultivate. — One of the most successful fruit growers 
of this section gave me his plan of cultivating his orchard. He plows 
his orchard one v/ay, leaving strips close to the trees about eight feet 
wide, and plants potatoes, covering them with straw. In the fall, 
when he digs his potatoes, he piles the straw, and the next spring he 
plows the ground crosswise, and plants again, using the same straw. 
After the straw has been used two years, it is turned under in the fall, 
to manure the ground. In this way his orchard is manured with very 
little trouble, and he cultivates his orchard at the same time. He 



324 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO IV. 

says that he docs not believe, from his own experience, that it is pood 
for fruit trees to have the plow run any closer than four feet on each 
side, but thinks it better to cultivate in this way between the rows 
than to seeii down to grass and pasture. 

Ornament — for mantelpiece. — x\n ornament may be obtained by 
suspendinij^ an acorn by a piece of thread tied around it, within half 
an inch of the surface of some water contained in a vase, tumbler or 
saucer, and allowing it to remain undisturbed for several weeks. It 
will soon burst open, and small roots will seek the water; a straight 
and tapering stem, with beautiful, gUissy green leaves will shoot up- 
wani and present a very pleasing appearance. Chestnut trees may 
be grown in the same manner, but their leaves are not so beautiful as 
those of the oak. The water should be changed once a month, tak- 
ing care to supply water of the same warmth; bits of charcoal added 
to it will prevent the water from souring. If the little leaves turn 
yellow, put a grain of nitrate of ammonia in the utensil which holds 
the water, and it will renew their luxuriance. 

Ornament for Table. — One-half dozen eggs; make a hole at one 
end and empty the contents; fill up with cornstarch made stiff. 
When cold strip oft' the shells; pare lemon rind very thin, boil till 
tender, then cut in narrow strips like straw, and lay in powdered 
sugar; fill a deep dish half full with either cold custard or wine jelly, 
put the eggs together in the center, and lay the straws nest-like 
around them. 

Ostrich Feathers — to clean. — White or light tinted ones can be 
laid on a plate ami scrubbed gently with a toothbrush, in warm soap- 
suds, then well shaken out and well dried either by the hot sun or a 
good fire. At first the feather will have a most discouraging appear- 
ance, and a novice is apt to think it perfectly spoiled. But after it is 
perfectly dry it should be carefully curled with a penknife or scis- 
sors blade, and it will recover all its former plumy softness. 

Ostrich Feathers (White) — to clean. — To clean a white ostrich 
feather, put otie ounce Castile soap in one pint of water. Wash the 
feather in this, and rinse in pure water. 

Ottoman — to make. — A neat and useful ottoman may be made by 
taking a box in which fine-cut tobacco is packed and covering it with 
cretonne. The top may be taken off and put on without difficulty, 
if, after covering, a narrow ruffle to fall over the edge is tacked on. 
An ottoman of this sort is convenient in the bedroom, where it may 
serve as a receptacle for stockings. If one does not care to buy cre- 
tonne, bits of carpet may be used for the covering. 

Oven-holders— to make. — Oven-holders, for taking out bread, 
meat, etc., are made two and one-half feet long, by one foot wide, 
of coffee sacking, first boiling it in ashes to soften and then washing 
it, or of three or four thicknesses of old cotton cloth. They are a 
great necessity. Have three or four of them, or better, half a dozen, 
so part can be washed each week. Keep those in use on nails be- 



WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 325 

side stove, and it is handy to have a smaller one with a loop and tied 
with a tape to the aprcm binding of the cook. 

Overshoes — to make. — Very nice overshoes can be made of 
dcjublc zcjjhyr, or coarse domestic yarn. Set up forty stitches on 
three larj^e steel needles, join; knit two plain and two stitches seam, 
all around till two inches have been knit, then commence to narrow 
in the center of one needle; on each side of two plain stitches, nar- 
row on the right side, slip and bind on the left. Do thus every time 
you come around to it, till there are but twenty stitches left on each 
needle; knit two or three inches more, two plain and two seam, and 
bind off. They are nice to wear when riding in cold weather. 

Oysters (Imitation). — I wish to tell those who are fond of oysters 
of a way I have learned of preparing corn oysters, which have a 
taste similar to real fried oysters; and are equal, if not superior to 
the bivalves themselves. Grate six ears of sweet corn (the proper 
age for boiling), add two beaten eggs, a little salt and pepper. Drop 
spoonfuls into your hot, well buttered frying-pan, fry and turn the 
same as oysters, browning nicely on both sides, and you have a dish 
which you cannot but pronounce excellent. 

Oysters — to broil. — Use a double gridiron that folds together; 
grease the bars, which prevents sticking; then dip each oyster into 
melted butter, place them on the iron enough to cover it, have a brisk 
fire and broil; constantly baste with butter; when done, serve on 
very hot toast on hot dishes. Use no cracker or crumbs of any kind. 

Oysters (Fried). — Use for frying the largest and best oysters you 
can get. Take them from the liquor, lay them in rows upon a clean 
cloth and press anf>lher lightly upon them to absr^rb the moisture; 
have ready some beaten eggs and some bread-crumbs. Heat enough 
butter in the pan to cover the oysters. Dip each one in the egg first, 
then into the crumbs, rolling it over, that it may be completely 
covered. Drop them into the frying-pan and fry quickly to a light 
brown. Do not let them remain in the pan an instant after they are 
done. Serve dry, on a hot dish. 

Oyster Omelet. — An oyster omelet may be a new dish to some 
cooks, and 1 can assure them that it will be a favorite if the family 
likes oysters. Stew a dozen oysters in their own liquor, if possible; 
if not, use a very little water; roll two or three lumps of butter the 
size of butternuts in flour, and put in and let it come to a boil; salt it 
well, and black or cayenne pepper to suit your taste. Take out the 
oysters and chop them, and if necessary to make it thick, add a little 
flour to the sauce; then put the oysters in, and set the saucepan in 
which they are on the back part of the stove. Beat your eggs until 
very light, and add to them two tablespoonfuls of cream or rich milk; 
fry in a well-buttered frying-pan. When done, remove to a hot plat- 
ter or a deep plate, and pour the oyster sauce over it. Serve while 
hot. 

Oysters — new ways of preparing them. — The ways of preparing 
oysters are not many. This method, however, is not widely known: 



32^) IVIIA T E VEK V ONE SIIO ULD A' NO IV. 

Take two dozen oysters and throw them in a hir^e deep dish; then 
take a small buiuh of parsley chopped fine, a little lemon rind 
}T^ra(cd, half a mitnu-ji; grated, and the crumbs of a stale French roll, 
also j^rated; let the latter be well incorporated, addinj^ some cayenne. 
Have in readiness the yolks of three fresh ej4>js beaten up into a 
foam; dip each oyster separately into the ei;^s and roll them \\\io the 
bread crumbs initil they are all covered with a good coat. Put a 
quarter of a pound of butter in the oven till it is melted while arrang- 
ing the oysters in the i)an, then turn them continually until they as- 
sume a perfect bri)vvn and crusty appearance. When fully cooked 
serve them with si)me celery, salt, and thin slices of Graham bread 
and butter. 

Oysters (Pickled). — Select the largest oysters, drain off their 
licpior, and wash them in clear water; put them in a stew-pan with 
water i)roportioned to the number ot oysters, sc^me salt, blades of 
mace, and wlu)!e black pepper. Stew them a few minutes, and then 
put them in a pot, and when cold, add as much jKde vinegar as will 
give the li(|Ui)r an agreeable acid. 

Oyster Sauce.— The oysters are to be beardi-d ami scaldeil, \\\v\\ 
strain the liquor and thicken it with a little tlour and butter, adding 
lemon juice in small tpiantity, and a few tablespoonfuls of cream; 
heat the oysters'well in this mixture, but do not let them boil; some 
pers(Mis add spices in making oyster sauce, in which case it must be 
left longer on the fire, simmering gently, but never being allowed lO 
boil. 

Pails (Wood) — to cleanse. ^To take the woody taste out of 
a wooden pail, till the pail with bcnling lu^t water ; let it remain until 
cold, then empty it and dissolve some soda in lukewarm water, add- 
ing a little lime to it, and wash the inside well with the solution ,- 
after that scaUl with hot water and rinse well. 

Pain in the Feet — to cure. — If your feet become painful from 
walking or standing too long, put them into warm salt and water 
mixed in the proportion of two large handfuls of salt to a gallon of 
water. Sea water made warm, is still better. Keep your feet and 
ankle in the water until it begins to feel cool, rubbing" them well with 
your hamls. Then wipe them dry and rub them long and hard Avith 
a coarse tcnvel. Where the feet are teiuler and easily fatigued, it is 
an excellent thing to go through this practice regidarly every night, 
also on coming home from a walk. With perseverance this has cured 
neuralgia in the feet. 

Pain Extractor. — Spirits of ammonia, one ounce; laudanum, one 
ounce; oil of origamun, one ounce; mutton tallow, half pound; com- 
bine the articles with the tallow when it is nearly cool. 

Paint — to remove from windows. — To remove paint from win- 
dows, take strong biiarbonate of soda and dis^solve it in hot water. 
Wash the glass, and, in twenty minutes ov half an hour, rub thor- 
oughly with a ilry cloth. Paint, varnish or japan may be softened 



WITA T E VER Y ONE SIIO ULD KNO W. 327 

or easily removed from old surfaces wilh a solution of caustic 
soda. 

Paint Cleaner. — Provide a plate with some of the best whitinj^ to 
be had, and have ready some clean warm water and a piece of flan- 
nel, which dip into the water and squeeze nearly dry ; then take as 
much whilinj< as will adhere to it, apply it to the painted surface, 
when a little rubbing will instantly remove any dirt or grease. After 
which wash the part well with clean water, rubbing it dry with a 
soft chamois. Paint thus cleaned looks as well as when first laid on, 
without any injury to the most delicate colors. It is far better than 
using soap, and does not require more than half the time and labor. 

Paint — mixture for cleaning. — Dissolve two ounces of soda in a 
quart of hot water, which will make a ready and useful solution for 
cleaning old painted work preparatory to repainting. The mixture 
in the above proportions should be used when warm, and the wood- 
work afterward washed with water to remove the remains of the 
soda. 

Painting Walls. — Before paint or kalsomine is applied to walls, 
every crevice should be filled with plaster or cement. For the kalso- 
mine put a quarter of a pound of white glue in cold water over night, 
and heat gradually in the morning until dissolved. Mix eight i)ounds 
of whiting with hot water, add the dissolved glue and stir together, 
adding warm water until about the ccmsistency of thick cream. Use 
a kalsomine brush, and finish as ycni go along. If skim milk is used 
instead of water, the glue may be omitted. 

Paint — to remove from a wall. — If you inte.id papering a painted 
wall, you must first get off the paint, otherwise the paper will not 
stick. To do this, mix in a bucket with warm water a sufficient 
quantity of pearlash or potash, so as to make a strong solution. Dip 
a brush into this, and with it scour off all the paint, finishing with 
cold water and a flannel. 

Paint (Old) — to remove. — Cover with a wash of three parts quick 
stone lime, slaked in water, to which one part pearlash is added. 
Allow the coating to remain sixteen hours, when the paint may be 
easily scraped off. 

Paint — for damp walls. — A good metallic paint mixed in pure 
linseed oil will protect a wall from dampness as well as any paint can 
do it. 

Paint (New) — to remove odor. — Newly painted rooms are very 
unpleasant for many days, but if a handful of hay be strewn <.n\ the 
floor upon which is sprinkled a little chloride gf lime, after a couple 
of hours the offensive smell will have entirely disappeared. 

Paint for Black Boards in Schools. — Common glue, four ounces; 
flour (jf cincry, three ounces; and just lampblack enough to give an 
inky culor t<j the j)reparalion. Dissolve the glue in three-fourths of 
a pint of warm water, put in the lampblack and emery, stii till there 
are no lumps, then a[)ply t(j the board with a woolen rag smoothly 
rolled. Three coats are amply sufficient. 



328 WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

Painting Banners. — Lay out the letters very accurately with char- 
coal or crayon, then saturate the cloth with water to render the paint- 
ing easy. On large work a stencil will be found useful. Take a 
piece of tin, lay the straight edge to the mark, brush over wiLh a sash 
tool, and by this means you will make a very clean-edged letter. Use 
stiff bristle pencils in painting on canvas. 

Painters' Cream. — Pale nut oil, six ounces; mastic, one ounce; 
dissolve; add sugar of lead, one-fourth of an ounce, previously 
ground in the least possible quantity of oil; then add of water quan- 
tity sufficient gradually, until it acquires the consistency of cream, 
working it well all the time. Used to cover the unfinished work of 
painters. It will wash off with water. 

Paint for Buildings. — There are buildings that were painted in 
this way fifteen years ago, and still look well. It is considered equal 
to, if not better than, pure oil: One gallon of soft water, one gallon 
of soft soap, one gallon of oil; put in a kettle and bring to a boil; re- 
move from the fire; let it stand till only warm, then mix in your 
paint the same as you would if clear oil. Apply warm. One coat 
will last a great many years. 

Paint (Compound Iron), — Finely pulverized iron filings, one part; 
brick dust, one part, and ashes, one part. Pour over them glue- 
water or size, set the whole near the fire, and, when warm, stir them 
well together. With this paint cover all the woodwork which may 
be in danger; when dry, give a second coat, and the wood will be 
rendered incombustible. 

Paint (Hard Drying). — Grind Venetian red, or any other color 
you wish, in boiled oil; then thin it with black japan. It will dry very 
hard for counter tops, etc. 

Paint for Farmers. — Farmers will find the following profitable for 
house or fence paint: Skim milk, two quarts; fresh slaked lime, eight 
ounces; linseed oil, six ounces; white burgundy pitch, two ounces; 
Spanish white, three pounds. The lime is to be slaked in water, ex- 
posed to the air, and then mixed with about one-fourth of the milk; 
the oil in which the pitch is dissolved to be added a little at a time, 
then the rest of the milk, and afterward the Spanish white. This is 
sufficient for twenty-seven yards, two coats. This is for white paint. 
If desirable, any other color may be produced; thus, if cream color is 
desired, in place of the part of Spanish white use the other alone. 

Paint (Spruce Yello^v) — for floors. — One quart of water, four 
ounces of glue, three pounds of spruce yellow; dissolve the glue by 
putting the water cold upon the glue the night before, then heat in 
the morning, being careful not to scorch it; paint while hot; add 
more water if too thick; dry three hours, 'then oil; use in twenty- 
four hours. 

Paint (Flexible) — for canvas. — Yellow soap, two and one-half 
pounds; boiling water, one and one-half gallons; dissolve; grind the 
solution while hot with good oil paint, one and one-quarter cwt. 
Paint (Beautiful Green) — for walls. — Take four pounds Roman 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 329 

vitriol, and pour on it a teakettleful of boiling water. When dis- 
solved, add two pounds pearlash, and stir the mixture well with a 
stick until the effervescence ceases; then add one-fourth pound pul- 
verized yellow arsenic, and stir the whole together. Lay it on with a 
paint brush; and if the wall has not been painted before, two or 
even three coats will be requisite. If a pea-green is required, put in 
less, if an apple-green, more of the yellow arsenic. This paint does 
not cost the quarter of oil paint, and looks better. 

Paint — to imitate tortoise shell. — Paint a ground of salmon 
color; then when dry and smoothed off, coat it over with rose pink, 
mixed in varnish and turpentine; then with a fiat piece of glass press 
on the surface, and remove the glass quickly, being careful not to 
push it over the paint so as to disturb the curious figures which the 
pressure will form thereon. Varnish when dry, and you will find 
you have a beautiful imitation of tortoise shell. 

Painting Houses — the best season for. — The outside of build- 
ings should be painted during autumn or winter. Hot weather in- 
jures the paint by drying in the oil too quickly; then the paint will 
easily rub off. But when the paint is laid on during the cold 
weather, it hardens in drying, and is firmly set. 

Paint for Magic Lantern Sides. — Transparent colors only are 
used for this work, such as lakes, sap-green, ultramarine, verdigris, 
gamboge, asphaltum, etc., mixed in oil, and tempered with light 
colored varnish (white Demar). Draw on the paper the design de- 
sired, and stick it to the glass with water or gum; then with a fine 
pencil put the outlines on the opposite side of the glass with the 
proper colors; then shade or fill up with black Vandyke brown, as 
you find best. 

Paint (Milk) — for barns — any color. — Mix water lime with skim- 
milk to a proper consistence to apply with a brush, and it is ready to 
use. It will adhere well to wood, whether smooth or rough, to brick, 
mortar or stone, where oil has not been used (in which case it cleaves 
to some extent), and forms a very hard substance, as durable as the 
best oil paint. It is too cheap to estimate, and any one can put it on 
who can use a brush. Any color may be given to it by using colors 
of the tinge desired. If a red is preferred, mix Venetian red with 
milk, not using any lime. It looks well for fifteen years. 

Paint — to make without lead or oil.— Whiting, five pounds; skim- 
med milk, two quarts; fresh slaked lime, two ounces. Put the lime 
into a stoneware vessel, pour upon it a sufficient quantity of milk to 
make a mixture resembling cream; the balance of the milk is then to 
be added; and lastly, the whiting is to be crumbled upon the surface 
of the fluid, in which it gradually sinks. At this period it must be 
well stirred in or ground, as you would other paint, and it is fit for 
use. 

Paint Odors — to get rid of. — Place a vessel full of lighted char- 
coal in the middle of the room, and throw on it two or three hand- 
fuls of juniper berries; shut the windows, the chimney, and the door 



330 IVHA r E VER V OA^E SIJO ULD KNO W. 

close; twenty-four hours afterward, the room may be opened, then 
it will be found that the sickly unwholesome smell will be entirely 
gone. The smoke of the juniper berry possesses this advantage, 
that should anything be left in the room, such as tapestry, etc., none 
of it will be spoiled. 

Paint for One Cent a Pound. — To one gallon of soft, hot water, 
add four poumls sulphate of zinc (crude). Let it dissolve perfectly, 
and a sediment will settle at the bottom. Turn the clear solution 
into another vessel. To one gallon of paint (lead and oil), mix one 
gallon of the compound. Stir it into the paint slowly for ten or fif- 
teen minutes, and the compound and paint will perfectly combine. 
If too thick thin it with turpentine. 

Paint (Durable Outside). — Take two parts (in bulk) of water lime, 
grouml fine; t)iK' part (in bulk) of white lead, in oil. Mix them 
thoroughly by atlding best boiled linseed oil, enough to prepare it to 
pass through a paint-mill; after which temper with oil till it can be 
applied with a common paint brush. Make any color to suit. It 
will Ixist three times as long as lead paint. It is superior. 

Painting Oil-cloths. — To paint canvas for floors, the canvas 
should fast be saturated with glue-water or flour paste, and allowed 
to dry first. Then paint it with any color desired. To put in 
the figures, cut out designs in tin plates or stiff paper, and stencil 
them on various colors. 

Paint Without Oil or Lead. — Slake stone-lime with boiling 
water in a tub or I)arrel to keep in the steam; then pass six quarts 
through a fine sieve. Now, to this quantity add one quart of coarse 
salt iind a gallon of water; boil the mixture, and skim it clear. To 
every five gallons of this skimmed mixture add one pound alum; 
one-half pound copperas; and by slow degrees three-quarters pound 
potash, and four quarts sifted ashes or fine sand; add any fine color- 
ing desired. A more durable paint was never made. 

Paint (White). — For inside work, which ceases to smell, and dries 
in a few hours : Add one pound of frankincense to two quarts tur- 
pentine; dissolve it over a clear fire, strain it, and bottle it for use; 
then add one pint of this mixture to four pints bleached linseed oil, 
shake them well together, grind white lead in spirts of turpentine, 
and strain it; then add sutficienl of the lead to make it proper for 
painting; if too thick in using, thin with turpentine, it being suitable 
for the best internal work on account of its superiority and ex- 
pense. 

Paint (Common White) — to mix. — Mix or grind white lead in 
linseed oil to the consistency of paste; add turpentine in the propor- 
tion of one quart to the gallon of oil; but these proportions must be 
varied according to circumstances. Remember to strain your color 
for the better sort of work. If the work is exposed to the sun, use 
more turpentine for the ground-color to prevent its blistering. 

Paint Skins — to utilize. — Dissolve sal-soda, one-half pound, in 
rain water, one gallon; cover the refuse jiaint for two days, then heat 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 331 

it, adding oil to reduce it to a proper consistence for painting and 
straining. 

Painters' Hints. — Painters' Colic. — To two and one-half gallons 
spruce or table beer add one dram of sulphuric acid, mix well and let 
it stand three hours. A tumblerful two or three times per day is said 
to be very beneficial in cases of lead colic. Sweet oil and milk are 
also good, but acids, fruits, spirituous liquors, and vinegar should lie 
avoided in every illness caused by paint. Avoid inhaling the dust 
when handling dry colors, or drinking water which has stood long in 
a painted room or paint shop. Never eat or sleep without washing 
the hands and face, and rinsing the mouth, cleaning well out under 
the nails. Hathe the whole body every few days, avoid spattering 
your clothes, and either wear overalls or change your garments every 
week, well airing those you put off. Keep your paint shop clean, 
well-ventilated, and avoid sleeping in it at any time. 

To Rkmovk Paint from Clo thing. — Saturate the spots with equal 
parts turpentine and spirits of ammonia until they become soft, then 
wash out with soap-suds. 

To Dissolve Paint Skins, Cleaning of Pots, Brushes, etc. — 
Save them carefully, and dissolve them by boiling them in oil. 

To Clean Brushes. — Use turpentine first, then wash in warm 
soap-suds. 

To Clean Paint Pails, etc. — Use strong lye, hot. 

Sanding. — The perforated sprinkler of a watering-pot attached to 
the nozzle of a pair of bellows is a first-rate contrivance for applying 
sand to painted work. Apply on the fourth or fifth coat, with an- 
other coat on the sand. To remove old putty, apply nitric or muri- 
atic acid. 

Pancakes (Apple). — Two cupfuls of sweet milk, one cg^,, four 
tablespoonfuls of sugar; one-half teaspoonful of soda, one-half tea- 
spoonful of salt, and flour enough to make a little thicker than grid- 
dles. Two good-sized apples, pleasantly sour, pare and slice into the 
batter. Drop into hot fat. Nice for breakfast. 

Panes of Glass — to remove. — A safe and easy method for remov- 
ing panes of glass is to apply softsoap to the putty, which, in a few 
hours, will soften it, however hard it may be, sufficiently for a knife 
to cut it without fear of breaking the glass. 

Pansy (The) — how to grow. — The pansy delights in a cool, rich 
loam; the richer, the larger will be the flowers, in a partially shaded 
situation. It never nourishes as well during the hot days of July and 
August as later in the season. Yoijng plants, from seeds sown early 
in the spring, if the bed be very rich, will come into handsome bloom 
during the latter part of June. All the first blossoms should be picked 
off that the plant may first become robust. Even with the old plants, 
the great secret of keeping them in constant bloom is to pick off the 
blossoms early and constantly, since it weakens the plant more to 
ripen one seed-pod than to yield a dozen flowers. 

Papering and Painting. — Papering and painting are best don-j in 



332 WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

cold weather, especially the latter, for the wood absorbs the oil of 
paint in warm weather, while in cold weather the oil hardens on the 
outside, making a coat which will protect the wood insj^cad of soaking 
into it. 

Paper — to fumigate. — Dip light paper in a solution of alum; 
strength of alum, one ounce; water, one pint. Dry thoroughly, and 
on one side spread a mixture of equal parts of gum benzoin, galban- 
um, or Peruvian balsam; melt the gums in an earthenware dish and 
spread with a hot spatula; slips of the paper are held over a light, 
when the odorous matter will be evaporated, the alum preventing the 
paper from igniting. 

Paper (Dr. Smith's Healing). — Make a strong tincture of capsi- 
cum-pods by steeping them for several days, in a warm place, in 
twice their weight of rectified spirits of wine. Dissolve gum arable 
in water to about the consistency of molasses. Add to this an equal 
quantity of the tincture, stirring it together with a small brush or a 
large camel's-hair pencil, until they are well incorporated. The mix- 
ture will be cloudy and opaque. Take sheets of silk or tissue-paper; 
give them with the brush a coat of the mixture; let them dry, and 
then give another; let that dry, and, if the surface is shining, there is 
enough of the peppered gum;Mf not, give a third coat. This paper, 
applied in the same way as court plaster to chilblains that are not 
broken, and burns that are not blistered, speedily relieves the itching 
and the pain. It acts like a charm, and effects a rapid cure. The 
same with cuts and discolored bruises. It likewise allays rheumatic 
pains in the joints. Its great value is that, besides acting as ordinary 
sticking-plaster, it abates suffering and hastens the process of healing. 

Paper (Magic). — Take lard oil, or sweet oil, mixed to the consist- 
ency of cream, with either of the following paints, the color of which 
is desired: Prussian blue, lampblack, Venetian red, or chrome green, 
either of which should be rubbed with a knife on a plate or stone un- 
til smooth. Use rather thin but firm paper; put on with a sponge, 
and wipe oflf as dry as convenient; then lay them between uncolored 
paper, or between newspapers, and press by laying books or some 
other flat substance upon them until the surplus oil is absorbed, when 
it is ready for use. 

Paper — to make into parchment. — To produce this transforma- 
tion, take unsized paper, and plunge it into a solution of two parts of 
concentrated sulphuric acid combined with one part water; withdraw 
it immediately, and wash it in clean water, and the change is com- 
plete. It is now fit for writing; for the acid supplies the wantof'size, 
and it becomes so strong that a strip two or three inches wide will 
bear from sixty to eighty pounds' weight, while a light strap of parch- 
ment will bear only about twenty-five pounds. 

Paper (Wall) — ho^v to clean. — To clean wall paper, take oflf the 
dust with a soft cloth. With a little flour and water make a lump of 
stiff dough, and rub the wall gently downward, taking the length of 
the arm each stroke, and in this way go round the whole room. As 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 333 

the dough becomes dirty, cut the soiled parts off. In the second 
round commence the stroke a little above where the last one ended, 
and be very careful not to cross the paper or to go up again. Ordi- 
nary papers cleaned in this way will look fresh and bright, and almost 
as good as new. Some papers, however, and these most expensive 
ones, will not clean nicely; and in order to ascertain whether a paper 
can be cleaned nicely, it is best to try it in some obscure corner 
where it will not be noticed if the result is unsatisfactory. If there 
be any broken places in the wall, fill them up with a mixture of equal 
parts of plaster of Paris and silver-sand, made into a paste with a 
little water, then cover the place with a piece of paper like the rest, if 
it can be had. 

Paper (Waterproof). — The waterproof oiled paper used so exten- 
sively around plants sent by mail, and to tie over pots and jars, and 
to wrap up ground white lead, etc., is made by simply brushing sheets 
of paper over with "boiled" oil, after, which they aie suspended 
on a line till dry. 

Paper (Paraffine) — to make. — To prepare paraffine paper, dissolve 
paraffine in benzine, and into the warm solution dip the paper, sheet 
by sheet; let drip off and dry. On the large scale it may be done by 
letting paper from a continuous roll pass through such a solution, and 
then between flannel to absorb the surplus. Wax is best dissolved in 
carbon disulphide, and paper can thus be made ready for use in five 
minutes. A good plan is to apply the benzine solution of paraffine 
by means of a sponge. 

Paraffine — as a wood preserver. — A German scientist recommends 
paraffine as an efficient means of protecting wood against damp, 
acids, and alkalies. The wood is first well dried, and then covered 
with a solution of one part melted paraffine in six parts petroleum 
ether or bisulphide of carbon. The solvent evaporates quickly, leav- 
ing the paraffine in the pores of the wood. Great care must be taken 
in the use of this preparation, since paraffine, as well as petroleum 
ether or bisulphide of carbon is very inflammable; and even the va- 
por of the last two mentioned substances, if mixed with air, may give 
rise to dangerous explosions. Paraffine, melted with equal parts of 
linseed oil, is also very useful to protect iron from rust. 

Paregoric. — Ingredients: One ounce of laudanum, one pint of any 
kind of spirits, one-half dram of flowers of benzoin, one-half dram 
of oil of anise, one scruple of camphor. Blend the ingredients well 
together. Give as a dose, to adults, one or two drams ; to children, 
from two to four years old, fifteen to twenty drops. 

Paregoric. — Best opium, three drams; dissolve in about two table- 
spoonfuls of boiling water; then add benzoic acid, one-half dram; oil 
of anise, one-half a fluid dram; clarified honey, one ounce; camphor 
gum, one scruple; alcohol, seventy-six per cent., eleven fluid ounces; 
distilled water, four fluid ounces; macerate (keep warm) for two 
weeks. Dose for children, five to twenty drops; adults, one to two 
teaspoonfuls. 



334 WfTA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

Parlor Magic. — The Tobacco-Pipe Cannon. — Take of saltpeter, 
one ounce; cream of tartar, one ounce; sulphur, half an ounce; beat 
them to powder separately, then mix them together. Put a grain 
into a pipe of tobacco, and when it is lighted it will give the report of 
a musket, without breaking the pipe. By putting as much as may lie 
on your nail in a piece of paper, and setting fire to it, a tremendous 
report will be the result. 

The Erratic Egg. — Have two wine-glasses. Transfer the ^%% 
from one wine-glass to the other, and back again to its original posi- 
tion, without touching the ^g^ or glasses, or allowing any person or 
anything to touch them. To perform this trick all you have to do, is 
to blow smartly on one side of the egg, and it will hop into the next 
glass; repeat this, and it will hop back again. 

To Melt Lead in a Paper. — Wrap up a very smooth ball of 
lead in a piece of paper, taking care that there be no wrinkles in it, 
and that it be everywhere in contact with the ball; if it be held in 
this state over the flame of a taper, the lead will be melted without 
the paper being burned. The lead, indeed, when ounce fused, will 
not fail in a short time to pierce the paper, and, of course, run 
through. 

Parsnip (Fried). — Boil, until tender, in hot water slightly salted ; 
let them get almost cold, scrape off the skin and cut in thin, long 
slices. Dredge with flour and fry in hot dripping, turning as they 
brown. Drain very dry in a hot colander ; pepper and salt and 
serve. 

Parson (Tipsy). — Take a sponge cake baked several days, crumble 
it up fine, put a layer of it in a glass dish, sprinkle over it a very 
little wine, then add a large handful of very finely chopped almonds, 
then a layer of whipped cream, then begin over again by laying an- 
other layer of cake crumbs, and go through the same formula, leav- 
ing the whipped cream on the top. Any kind of old crumbs will do, 
but sponge cake is better. Makes an excellent dish for tea, and looks 
beautiful on the table. 

Paste Blacking. — Half a pound of ivory black, half a pound of 
molasses, half an ounce of powdered alum, one dram of turpentine, 
one ounce of sulphuric acid, two ounces of raw linseed oil. The 
ivory black and molasses must first be mixed together until thorough- 
ly incorporated ; then add the rest of the ingredients. It keeps best 
in a bladder. 

Paste — to make. — A clean paste may be made of two parts gum 
tragacanth and one part powdered gum arabic ; cover with cold 
water till dissolved, then reduce to desired consistency with same. 
A few drops of carbolic acid will prevent sourness. 

Paste for Scrap-books, etc. — To make paste for scrap-books, mix 
smoothly flour and water till a thin batter is formed ; put in a pinch 
of pulverized alum, and pour in boiling water till a thick paste is 
formed. Let it boil a minute or two ; add a few drops of carbolic 
acid or oil of cloves. Put in a wide-necked bottle. 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W, 335 

faste (Perpetual) — to make. — This paste will remain sweet for a 
yea:. Dissolve a teaspoonfui of alum in a quart of water, to which 
add sufficient flour to make a thick cream. Stir in half a teaspoon- 
fui cf powdered resin and half a dozen cloves to give a pleasant odor. 
Havfe on the fire a teacup of boiling water; pour the flour mixture 
into it, stirring well at the time. In a few minutes it will be of the 
consistency of mush. Pour it into an earthen vessel; let it cool; lay 
a cover on, and put it in a cool place. When needed for use, take 
out a portion and soften it with warm water. 

Paste for Paper-hangings, Books, Paper Boxes, etc. — Good 
wheat flour, sifted, four pounds, make it into a stiff batter with cold 
water in a pail, beat it well to break the lumps, then add pulverized 
alum, two ounces. Into this pour boiling water, hissing hot from 
the fire, stirring the batter thoroughly all the time. As it cooks it 
swells and loses its white color, and when cold, will make about 
three-fourths of a pail of thick paste. Thin with cold water to adapt 
ic for easy use with the brush. For painted or varnished walls, add 
one-half ounce pulverized resin to each two quarts paste, and reduce 
the mass with thin gum arable or glue water. A little pulverized 
corrosive sublimate will enhance the keeping qualities of paste, but 
alum used as above will do very well. 

Paste — for destroying rats and mice. — Melt one pound of lard, 
with a very gentle heat, in a large-mouthed bottle or other vessel 
plunged into warm water; then add half an ounce of phosphorous, 
and one pint of proof spirit; cork the bottle securely, and as it cools 
shake it frequently, so as to mix the phosphorous uniformly; when 
cold pour off the spirit (which may be preserved for the same pur- 
pose), and thicken the mixture with flour. Small portions of this 
paste may be placed near the rat holes, and being luminous in the 
dark it attracts them, is eaten greedily, and is certainly fatal. 

Paste (Puff) — to make. — An easy way of making puff paste is to 
mix the flour with three-quarters of its weight in butter, and milk 
enough to make it easy to rolL It should not be touched with the 
hands. 

Pasture (Permanent) — profitable to the farmer. — The value of 
permanent pasture is not appreciated as it should be, and mainly, we 
apprehend, for want of knowledge and experience. The vast ma- 
jority of farms have certain pieces or sections which do not pay as 
they are now managed, but which Vv^ould yield handsome dividends if 
properly prepared, put in grass, and used as a permanent pasture. 
In certain localities, and under certain circumstances, soiling will un- 
questionably prove profitable, but upon the vast majority of the 
iarms of the country, the time-honored plan of grazing must be de- 
pended upon for the summer feeding of the stock. With all the in- 
novations and improvements in farming, it is still true that " fat 
pastures make fat pockets," and "heavy meadows make happy 
farmers," 

Custom generally sanctions onjy the growth of timothy, the 



336 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

clovers, blue grass, and, in a limited way, orchard grass for tiese 
purposes; but enlightened research and intelligently conductec ex- 
periments have shown that very many more of our great fam'iy of 
grasses can be used to advantage. Thus, in their proper places and 
seasons, these are the best, "but at the same time there are other 
sorts which produce feed either before these have come to maiurity 
or after they are done, and which are of equal value for grazing pur- 
poses." Among others are rye grass of two or three sorts, red-top, 
meadow fox-tail, two or three fescues, oat grass, etc., mixtures of 
which, with those already mentioned, in proportions suited to the 
character of the land upon which they are sown, will yield larger and 
more nutritious crops, lasting through a very much longer season 
than any one or two of them. 

Some of these mature early, others later, occupying the ground 
at different times, thus lengthening the season, and practically pro- 
ducing several successive crops, not the least advantage of which, 
perhaps, will be found in keeping the ground covered and shaded at 
times. 

Patchouli — extract of, — Mix one and one-fourth ounce attar of 
Patchouli, and one-fourth ounce attar of rose with one gallon rectified 
spirits. 

Patterns — to stamp on cloth. — A nice way to stamp any patterns 
on muslin, canvas or paper, is to procure from the stationery store a 
sheet of blue tracing paper. It will cost fifteen cents. Place a piece 
of tracing paper over the goods on which you want the pattern, now 
put your pattern on the tracing paper with the pattern up, and trace 
every line with a pencil or anything sharp. Do not move the pat- 
tern after you have begun to trace until you have finished, then 
take up both pattern and paper, and your stamping is completed. 

Peaches — to can. — Before paring your peaches dip them a minute 
or two in boiling water. This will loosen the skin so they will slip 
off easily, and you will be surprised to know how much time is saved 
in paring, how smooth the peaches will look, and how many more 
cans you will have from the same number of peaches than if you 
pared them in the old wasteful way. The best way to scald them (or 
tomatoes either) is to fill your wire vegetable boiler with them, and 
then set that into a kettle of water. By the way, if you do not pos- 
sess one of these useful articles, I'm sorry for you. They are very 
cheap, and if you would once use one to boil potatoes or other veg- 
etables in, and find how easy it is to lift this little framework out of 
the water, you would think you never could go back to the old scald- 
ing way of lifting a heavy kettle and pouring the water off the veg- 
etables, with the extreme probability of blistering your nose and both 
hands with the escaping steam in the dangerous operation, even if 
the perverse kettle shouldn't give one grand lunge in the wrong di- 
rection and spill the entire contents on the floor or in the sink. 

Peach Trees — care of. — A fruit-grower has discovered, it is said, 
that a mulch of tomato vines around peach trees will prevent the at- 



WffA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 337 

ticks of the circulio and other noxious insects — an important discov- 
ery if true. It would be easy to test it, and for plum as well as peach 
trees. 

Pearl Water for the Complexion. — Castile soap, one pound; 
water, one gallon. Dissolve, then add alcohol, one quart; oil of 
rosemary and oil of lavender, each two drams. Mix well. 

Pear Trees — to protect from blight. — A correspondent preserves 
his pear trees from blight by winding a rope of straw around the 
trunks so as to completely cover them from the ground to the limbs, 
keeping it on moderately tight through the season. His theory is 
that the blight is caused by the rays of the hot sun coming in contact 
with the body of the tree, heating the sap and causing it to dry up 
and the bark to grow to the wood of the tree. 

Pears — hints on marketing. — Pears, whether early or late, should 
never remain on the tree until they become mellow. Whenever they 
have made their growth they should be gathered. It is easy to tell 
the proper condition by observing the ease with which the stem parts 
from the tree. If, on taking hold of the pear and lifting it, the stem 
readily breaks away from the spur to which it is attached, the fruit 
has received all the nourishment it can get from the tree, and the 
sooner it is gathered the better. Pears are sent to market in crates 
and half barrels; especially fine specimens are sent in shallow boxes, 
only deep enough for a single layer of fruit, and each pear is wrap- 
ped in thin white paper. Extra specimens of any of the standard 
kinds will bring enough more to pay for this extra care in packing. 
The early varieties mature quicker after gathering than the later 
kinds, but all should reach the market in a firm and hard condition. 
As with all other fruits, it will pay to carefully assort pears. Make 
three lots, firsts and seconds for market, and the third for keeping at 
home — for the pigs, if need be; there is positively no sale for poor 
pears. 

Peas (Green) — to preserve for winter use. — Gather the peas when 
plentiful, shell them ; then wash and scald them in hot water. When 
thoroughly drained, put them into bottles, and fill up each bottle with 
a strong brine ; at the top of the bottle pour a thin layer of salad oil, 
Cork and seal the bottles, which must be quite full and kept uprighl 

Pen-wiper. — Twelves disks of cloth of various colors are edged 
with crystal beads. The rounds may be of any size wished, accord- 
ing as the pen-wiper is required, large or small. They are then folded 
in four, and fastened together in the center with a few stitches of 
strong silk. 

Pencils — for -writing on glass. — Stearic acid, four parts; mutton- 
suet, three parts; wax, two parts; melt together and add six parts of 
red lead, and one part purified carbonate of potassa, previously trit- 
urated together; set aside for an hour in a warm situation, stirring 
frequently; then pour into glass tubes or hollow reeds. 

Pencil Marks — to make indelible. — To fix pencil marks so they 
will not rub out, take well-skimmed milk and dilute with an equal 



y}H If//.!/' I' \ I' l< V i>\/' SIhU I li A.\('// 

hulk III w(it<-r. WiimIi iIh- |hiii II iimrkM (wlicilin wiiiliiK "i <liiivvin^;) 
Willi tllh ll<|lliil, IIHJn^ II soli II. il * uiMri's hail In iihli, atnl avoiiliiif.; .ill 
riil)l)i)tM. lMii(<* ii|)iiM II Hill III). till Id (Il y. 

Pei)l)eu«inK:e (very appfli/.in^.!; wilh ineatfl), Thrff Iwiulr. of 

« lllil)U^C', I llit|t|»r(l ; lliirr nl Inlll lull |t(| i|ii| s, rli< ippcii (fiCt'ilM UllvtMl 

out); hull pint i>l vvliilc itiiiHtunI hccil; ilii re t>tii Ici oi horHciiulisli, 
Kinlrij; hull cup ni wliilr liiiK'X ; hull IfUNpiiuiiliil ul uliiiii. Mix lo. 
KflluT, put ill a jai ami ciivri with rulil viM«>;ai, Iviiulv lui use ii) II 
Wrrk, 

PerfumrM to rxt ract. - 'I'ln pii Inuif. «il ililli nut llnwri,'. ma / l»r 
rMiailnl hy u vciy raiiiplr pnticss, uiid willioitl any uppilluUlH. 
(iailicl llir llovvris, till- pi-l llliili- ul vvlliiil ynil lirHllr III olitulM, wilh 
UM lillii- i.lullv UH pDhhilili , .Mill plui r llu-in ill u jut tliii-(- pints lill(<i| with 
olive III aliliiillil nil. /Mill I Wcilty -Inlll hntlis llltii lIu'lM (Mil ill u 
coatsi' (liilii, ami M|iii-i'/i- all llir nil Imui iIh in. Iliinw uwiiy th< "Id 
lloWriN, ami li'piat llir plnir.'lH wit II I irr.li K.al ht'M il llnwej H t 111 i r nj 

Inlll tinifs, UJiordin^.' to the HlieiiKth nl ihr pcrliiiiir (Ic'siird. The oil 
lieiiiK lliDrmiKhly Inipre^nuted with llic vnlatile puiticleH of the 
llnweiM, is then In lie nii.Ked Willi .in i«|u.d <piaiitity nl pine leitilied 
Npiiit, uiid shaken every day Ini a |ni(iu^.dit. Il may iheii he |inuicd 
ofl, when it will he Iniind heaiililnlly rucnled and hi lor iiHe, 

PeilmurM ((iardeii). .SiiM|»le ^aiiU'ii peilimu-f. an- i li.ii miiif-'. in 
limn when put .iwav ni liiinUs nr diaweiH. 'in li,iinll%i 1 1 hiel.s the 
peiliimi* i.s innie delii tile and iiiiirh nime dcHiiahle than the HtimiKCi' 
minis Hit Ireely used. Always picseive ihe tiiminin^;s nl inHe-^eiunJ- 
inu'. ill 111 velnpes liii ran II piii pn-.r:., .iml lay ni plml y nl r.wi-el ( Inver 
when in hlns'.nui. 

PfllulUf'S. HiMM.IlM'r in: I.A KlIlNI'. I aUc nue nume nf CMNlMUiC 
nl helfiainnl, tliiee diiims nt I'ai^JiKll nil nl laveiidei, iiall u drillU ^f 
<mI nl ( Inv<-S, Ililli a dl.ini n| iilnillUlii' vilie^UI, ''i^ K">!'>''^ ol IUUhU, llltd 

niic piut and a h.dl nl hm lilted ^;pilil nl wine. Distill. 

I'M I. I \ ( I I II Spiiir. I'l wim-, li\i- f^ulloiis; ni unj^e llnw«T walei , 
niir gallon; hulsaiu nt reiii, Inlll nume.s; essriirr nl heinanmi, 
ei^Iit niiiii es; es>*em<' nl miisU, «'i^lil nuiucH; csseiur nl ilnvefi, hull" 
niUHCs; esseiue oi iirinli, Iwonunees. 

Kl^iS M l< ^^UK'lv, Spirit, OIK- ^alllln; es^i(•nl -• nl lliymc, nur Iniiilh 
niliiie; esseiue oC orunK'' lloweis, two oiiiu'es; essem e neinli, nny- 
li.di oil me; utttir of rnses, Ihii ly ill ops; essence ol jusniinc-, nne on me; 
ercieiici* nl hidni mint, nne hull ounce; petuls ol lost's, four ounctis; 
oil leinoii, twi'iity limps; (ulmiis aioniiiticus, one-half uuiice; essence 
m mil, (uiefointh ounce. Mix and strain. 

I 'I'l'iCU Ti'.N. .Spirits of wine, fmir <piaits; e8srnce nl cediat, two 
diains; PHNciice ol violets, one-louiih ounce; essence of neioli, mie- 
h.df iMincr; atlai of roses, twenty dmps; otauKedlnwei e',?ien(c, one 
niince; oil of rosemai y , thiity dmp',; nils hei>>aninl .iml nemli, each 
one hidf niince, 

I . Aimi.s' ()\VN.- — Spirits nl wine, nne K'dlnii; .ill.ii nl in.MS twenty 
dinps; ChUCllce nf lliynir, one h.dl ninii e; cri.Miii e nl iicinli, niic It mi ill 



wii.i r j'.i'j'.h'V ONE sjjoiii.n AA'oif. 339 

r)iihre; eBfience of vanilla, one-half ounce; essen'c of br if^iunoi, orie- 
ffjiiVth ounrf'i orringe-flowcr waU^r, six ounces. 

Perspiration to reniov«i the odor of. — The unplciHa/ii odor pro- 
diicqd hy ))<'jh)(iratioii irt (r<')u<(iily the Hource of vexation lo pcrhons 
who an* Huhjfct to it, Notliiii^ in hiinpli^r tjian to remove tlii« fjflor 
uiurh n)or<t e(K'< tu.'dly than |jy th<: application of wuch cotstly ungu^^nts 
and pcifiiint-s aH ar<i in u^>e, It is only necewHary lo procure HotJie 
«oMi|joiiMd Hjiiriis ol ainmoiiia and plac^ .ahout (wo tahh'h|»oofiful« in 
a \>A^\i\ o| water. VVashiiif-i the face, harids, an<l arniH wilh this leaver 
(he hkin fiH ch^'iri and .sweet aK one could wihh. The wash ih j)erfe( i|y 
harrnlesH, and very cheap. It is recommended on the authority of an 
experi<Miced i<liysiei;i(i. 

Perspiring' Hands. 'I he ordy effective methr)d of preventing ex- 
ceHisive perh|>iiaiiofi in the handw in to mix cjul) mowR In the water 
when wahhiiig llM-m. They should he w-'ished two or three times a 
day in tepid water, with the c luh-mosh, wliich need only he used fresh 
every *nioniiii;.'_. 

Perspiring Feet. — Persons tioul>l<d w/ih I'-'i ihai jx-rspire or 
sm<tll rdfensively, may j)erhaps effect, a cure hy hathing (hem every 
night or oftener in a sirong solution of horax, 'f'wo or thre*- wei-ks 
of this trealnient will jnohahly he found suthcient. 

Pewter to make. M'-Ii in a < rucilyle seven i^ounds of lin, ;ind 
when fused throw in on'- j»oniid ol lead, six ounces of copper, and two 
ounces of y.inc. 

Pewter to clean. — Ingredients; One pound of neat's-foot oil, 
one ounce of water of ammonia, powdered rotten-stone. Put the oil 
and ammonia into a hasin, and stir into them as much rotten-stone as 
will rnakct a thick paste. This (laste may he ke[)t in a jar for use. 
Wash th<' pewter vessel in soap and water, dry it, n\\) well with the 
paste, ,'tnd polish wilh a soft leather. 

Phial Light to make. -I)ry phosphc>rus, one part; olive oil, six 
parts, I'ut them into a jihial, < ork it, and i)lace it in warn) water for 
two or three hours. l*'or use, pull out the c<jrk, and sufficient ligl)t 
will he emitlerl to enahle you to see the time hy a watch. One bottle 
will last for years if well corked as soon as used. Ether may he em- 
j>loyed instead of olive oil. 

Phosphorus dangers of. — A series of investigations has led to 
the following general conclusirmu: 

1. '1 In- manufactiue of matches from white jihosphorus, owifig to 
iIk* un.'ivoidahle evolution of phosphorus vapors, is fraught with the 
greatest danger to the heallli and lives of the women. 

2. '[he vapors of the pliosj>horus, if hreathed for a long time, pro- 
duce gener.'il ill-he;tlth, Uinh-r circinnstances not yet fully undersi'jod, 
hut which are probably lo be sought for in the idiosyncrasi<-s ni I he 
individual. Usually it takes the local f<irn) of necrosis of Hk- maxil- 
lary or jaw-bone. 

3. 'I'he necrosis of the jaw. if not relieved in time by .m o).cr;ttion, 
results in d^^ath. 



y\n W'llA r K\ KKV UNJ'. SllOUI.n hA'DW. 

.|. 'I'lu- iiijiiiiKiis « (uistiliUMils of lh(* phoHplioniH vupoiH are neither 
pliospliorus acid nor phosphoric acid, lail phosphorus itself, free 
anil nnconihincd, wlii<li passes into tiic blood iis such, and probably 
circulates in the blood in Ihc form <il vapor, and from ihe blood acts 
upon special organs (liver, kidneys, luail, sl«)nwu h an<l inuscic:i) iis 
well as on the bone tissues. 

f;. The most dan^eious operations in makinjj; malchoti are inaU- 
luK lip 'he paste, dipping the splints, drying anil [jacking the 
matches. 

<). The nianuhu'lipc ol matches shonhloidy be permitted iindei the 
condilion lliat the phos|)horus vapoi:; sh.dl be (oinpletcly exi haled 
from the vv«>rk- rooms. 

7. These conditions irww be sulliciently compli<-<| with l)y «nerKetic 
ventilation, and the use of a vSafely ap|>aratus. 

Physic-Ball for horses. — Harbadoes aloes, from four to five or 
six drams (a« coidin^ to si/e and strenj.ith of the horse); lurtarate of 
polast-a, oiu- «h.ini ; ^in^er and castile soa|), each two drams ; "oil of 
anise, or peppeinuiu, twenty drops; pidveri/e and make all into one 
Itall, with ihii k Kinn solution. I'eed by giving scalded bran instead 
«»f oats, loi (wo d.iys bebxe K'^''"M '''*" |>hysic, and duiiiij.', its openu 
tioii. 

I'hysir for Cfittle. I ake half only «»f the dose jibove for a horsft, 
and add il to p,lanb«i salts, t'if^ht ounces; dissolve all in k'"*^'1i ^"C 
ipiail, and ^ive as a drench. 

Piano llanuiiers to re-cover, (iet felt ol ^^laduated thii kn<*.ss, 
< nl II in strips the exact width, touch only the two ends with ^lue— 
noi ihe part striking the firings, lloht in place with springs of nur> 
r4)w hoop iron. 

Pickles (Apple) — to make. — Apple pickle.s are delicious. Pare 
and halve ilu- .tpples, removing the cores carefully, to keep Iheiu in 
gooil sh.ip<-. Sleam till soil. I'ut spiced vinegar over then). 

Pickles (Sweet Cut umber). Take ripe cm umbers, ( nl out the 
Inside, pare, iind slice in stpiares an ii\ch or two long and or\e wide, 
as you fancy. Take seven pounds of this, boil in sail water ui\til 
tender, then drain. In a porcelain ketlh" put one ipiart of vinegar, 
three pounds ol sn^ar, one omn «' cassia bmls, one of cloves, one-half 
allspice. lioil tu^elhei, (hen .idd (he (uiundxi, and sinnner all two 
hours. 

Pickles (Cucumber, etc.) to make. — The pi(kles r>r small cucum- 
beis should be < aielully assm ted as they come from the liekl, and 
large ones salted by thenjselves or thrown away. The large ones 
need more salt, ait* harder to keep ai»d, prepare for sale, and sell for 
■ mil h less. A cucumber ihal begins lo grow yellow, «)r is too large 
to count one hundr<-d lo the bushel, sh«)uld not be salted at all. The 
nu'dium-si/.ed tuies, cmmting about three hui\dred to the bushel, and 
hue ones, counting abtnU sevj'U Innulied lo the bushel, iire the sixes 
most wanh'd. As st»on as jissorled, they slu>idd be placed in euipty 
beef b.iiiels 01 molasses hogsheads and covered wi(h biine; ihe 



WffA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO IV. 341 

brine is made strong enough to float a potato, and the pickles are 
kept under by a head fitting the barrel loosely, and loaded with one 
or two stones of about twenty pounds weight each for a hogshead. 
The brine soon becomes weak by absorbing the fresh juice of the 
pickles, and will need to be drawn off and poured on again in order 
to thoroughly mix the stronger brine at the bottom of the package 
with the portion at the top, which is weaker. This should be re- 
peated two or three times at intervals of two or three days, and if the 
brine is on large pickles, a few handfuls of salt added each tim.e. If 
carefully kept under the brine and the surface of the brine kept 
equally mixed with what is below, there will be no trouble in keeping 
them. 

They are taken out of the brine several days before wanted for 
sale, and placed in fresh, cold water, which must be changed as often 
as convenient — say two or three times a day — and after four or five 
days they will be fresh enough to receive the vinegar. The strongest of 
white wine (whisky) vinegar is used, and allspice and pepper added 
to taste. There is no need of scalding either the pickles or vinegar; 
if the latter is strong enough they will keep. Cider vinegar is of un- 
certain strength, and is often too weak to keep pickles after warm 
weather begins. If the vinegar is not strong enough, scalding will 
do no good. Pickles thus prepared are known as English pickles, 
and have a dull yellowish-brown color imparted by the brine. The 
bright green color often seen in the pickles in market is imparted by 
scalding them, when taken out of the brine, in a copper kettle; they 
absorb enough verdigris from the kettle to give them the desired 
color, and it is one of the signs of increasing knowledge of what is 
done in preparing our food, and of care in rejecting anything sus- 
picious, that the green pickle, so universally used a few years since, 
is fast becoming unpopular, and giving place to the English pickle, pre- 
pared without copper. Peppers, beans, cauliflowers, unripe melons, 
and martynias are p'"epared in the same way as cucumbers. 

Pickles — fine cucumber. — Make a brine that will bear an e^g, and 
drop in the cucumbers; cover them with grape leaves; weight 
them down, and let them stand ten or more days. Then take them 
out, drain well, and soak a day or two in plenty of clear water, fre- 
quently changed. Afterward put them in a kettle with grape and 
cabbage leaves and a lump of alum. Cover with weak vinegar, and 
let them stand until they turn green. Then take out, drain, and put 
into stone jars. For each three gallons of pickles use one gallon of 
cider vinegar, and place into it one ounce each of mace and celery 
seed, two ounces of ginger, three ounces each of cloves and stick 
cinnamon, four ounces each of mustard seed (black and white mixed), 
choice black pepper and allspice, two tablespoonfuls of ground mus- 
tard, a handful of chopped horseradish, two pods of red pepper, four 
onions, and two pounds of sugar. Boil, and pour it hot over the 
pickles. More sugar can be added to suit the taste. Cover the jar 
very closely, and expose to the sun every day during hot weather. 



342 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

Pickles in Jars. — Take gherkins or young cucumbers the size of 
your fcjrcfinger, puncture them with a needle, and put over them dry 
salt. In two days throw this off, add as much more, let this stay 
two days, and pour off. Drain them on a cloth, put them in jars, 
and pour over them boiling vinegar, in which ginger, black pepper, 
sliced horseradish, mace, cloves and allspice, withshalots and garlic, 
have been infused. In two days drain off the vinegar, boil, and pour 
it on the cucumbers. Repeat the process three or four times, and 
they will become perfectly green and plump. 

Pickle (French.) — One peck green tomatoes sliced, six large onions 
sliced; mix these and throw over them one teaspoonful of salt, and 
let them stand over night; next day drain thoroughly and boil in one 
quart of vinegar mixed with two quarts of water for fifteen or twenty 
minutes. Then take four quarts vinegar, two pounds brown sugar, 
one-half pound white mustard seed, two tablespoons ground allspice, 
and the same of cinnamon, cloves, gmger and ground mustard ; 
throw all together and boil fifteen minutes. 

Pickles — to color green. — Place a layer of cabbage leaves, the 
outside leaves arc best, in a pan; put in the pickles, and upon these 
another layer of leaves, and cover the whole with cold water. Place 
the pan upon the stove, and let the water come almost to the boiling 
point; actual boiling would soften the pickles. After a while the 
green color will have left the cabbage leaves, and will be found to 
have entered the pickles. Allow the pickles to become quite cold, 
then bottle with the best cider vinegar, adding to each quart a table- 
spoonful of sugar. If desired to be especially firm and crisp, add a 
piece of akun as large as a nutmeg to each quart. 

Pickles — to prevent molding. — Cut horseradish roots in thin slices, 
lengthwise and lay half a dozen or so of these pieces on the top of 
each crock of pickles, allowing them to remain until all the pickles 
are used. Grated horseradish will not do, as it soon loses its strength 
and then ferments. 

Pickles (Sweet) — to make. — These are made from peaches, pears, 
plums, apples and other fruits, ripe but not too mellow; over-ripe 
cucumbers, watermelon rind, and other fruits are also used. The 
article to be pickled is first cooked in water until a straw will pass 
through it. The vinegar is prepared thus: To each quart of vinegar 
acjd brown sugar, three pounds; stick cinnamon, four ounces* cloves, 
two ounces, l^ruise the spices, tie in a muslin bag and boil with the 
vinegar and sugar for five minutes. Pour the liquid over the fruit or 
other material placed in ajar. For three days in succession, heat the 
liquid to the boiling point, with the bag of spices, and pour over the 
fruit. 

Pickled Plums. — Twelve pounds of plums, six of sugar, one quart 
of vinegar, one ounce of mace, one of allspice, half an ounce of cloves 
(whole), boil fifteen minutes. 

Picture Frames — composition ornaments for. — Mix as much 
whiting as you think will be required for present use with thinnish 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO IV. 343 

glue to the consistency of putty; and having a mold ready, rub it 
well all over with sweet oil, and press your composition in it; take it 
out and you will have a good impression, which you may set by to 
dry; or, if wanted, you may, before it get;^ hard, apply it to your 
work with thick glue, and bend it to the form required. 

Pictures — to transfer from paper to wood for re-engraving. — 
Soak the print in a saturated solution of alcohol and white caustic 
potash to soften the ink, then transfer to the block under roller pres- 
sure. 

Pies (Beefsteak) — to make. — Ingredients: Three pounds of rump- 
steak; season to taste of salt, cayenne and black pepper; crust, water, 
the yolk of an egg. 

Have the steaks cut from a rump that has hung a few days, that 
they may be tender, and be particular that every portion is perfectly 
sweet. Cut the steaks into pieces about three inches long and two 
wide, allowing a small piece of fat to each piece of lean, and arrange 
the meat in layers in a pie-dish. Between each layer sprinkle a 
seasoning of salt, pepper, and, when liked, a few grains of cayenne. 
Fill the dish sufficiently with meat to support the crust, and to give 
it a nice raised appearance when baked, and not to look flat and hol- 
low. Pour in sufficient water to half fill the dish, and border it over 
with paste; brush it over with a little water and put on the cover; 
slightly press down the edges with the thumb and trim off close to 
the dish. Ornament the pie with leaves, or pieces of paste cut in 
any shape that fancy may direct; brush it over with the beaten yolk 
of an egg; make a hole in the top of the crust and bake in a hot 
oven for about one and one-half hours. Sufficient for six or eight 
persons. 

Note. — Beefsteak pies may be flavored in various ways, with 
oysters and their liquor, mushrooms, minced onions, etc. For 
family pies, suet may be used instead of butter or lard for the crust, 
and clarified beef-dripping answers very well where economy is an 
object. Pieces of underdone roast or boiled meat may in pies be 
used very advantageously ; but always remove the bone from pie- 
meat, unless it be chicken or game. We have directed that the meat 
shall be cut smaller than is usually the case; for, on trial, we have 
found it much more tender, more esily helped, and with more gravy 
than when put into the dish in one or two large steaks. 

Pie-crust. — This is made exactly as dough for crackers; it may be 
rolled a very little thinner. It bakes quickly, so that care must be 
taken not to scorch it in cooking the contents of the pie. It is not 
suited for an upper crust, but does admirably for pies that require 
but one crust. It is just the thing for those who do not think short- 
ened pie-crusts wholesome, and it is good enough for any one. One 
can eat it with as much impunity as so much oatmeal mush and fruit 
sauce. 

Pie-crust. — After having made an ordinary crust (one and one- 
half tablespoonfuls of shortening for each cup of flour, moistening 



344 ^^^J'A T E VER V ONE SHOULD KNO W, 

with water very sparingly), use it for the under crust; then roll out 
the upper crust in same way, adding a thin layer of lard next, sifting 
a thin layer of flour, patting down with flat of hand and fingers, and 
it is ready to place upon the pie (which we will suppose to have been 
filled in the meantime). Finally turn cold water over the top and 
consign to the oven. When baked, it will be very flaky and all one 
could wish for. 

Pie (Chocolate). — Nothing is more agreeable for the dessert of an 
elaborate dinner than chocolate pie. It is so rich that a small piece 
only can be eaten, a fact which some cooks may think a recommen- 
dation. Take four tablespoonfuls of grated chocolate, one pint of 
boiling water; let it simmer for a few minutes, then take the yolks of 
two eggs, two tablespoonfuls of cornstarch, six tablespoonfuls of 
sugar. Stir this mixture together and boil until thick, like boiled 
custard (and, by the way, cook it in the same way by setting the dish 
in boiling water, and so avoid all danger of burning). Make a crust 
as for lemon pie, bake it, and then put in the cooked chocolate. Beat 
the whites of two eggs to a stiff froth, beating in a tablespoonful of 
pulverized sugar; put them on the top of the pie and set it in the 
oven to brown. Serve cold. It is not at all difficult to make, and 
ought to be a perfect success. It takes longer to prepare than some 
other dishes, and it is wise to make it in the early morning, and not 
run the risk of spoiling it by being obliged to hurry. 

Pie (Cranberry), — For the pastry take one quart of flour, half a 
pound of lard, half a pound of butter, one teacup of cold water. 
Wash and pick over the berries, put into a saucepan with a little 
water, and simmer until they become soft. Bake with a cross-bar of 
pastry over the top. 

Pie (Custard). — Boil a quart of milk withhalf a dozen peach leaves; 
when they have flavored the milk strain it and set it .to boil again; 
blend a tablespoonful of flour smoothly with two spoonfuls of cold 
milk; add to boiling milk, stiring constantly; take from fire and when 
cool put in three well-beaten eggs, sweeten to taste, turn in pie-pans, 
and bake in quick oven. 

Pie (Green Tomatoe). — Can't be distinguished from mince pie. 
Cut your tomatoes fine. One cup sugar, butter, size of an egg, two 
tablespoonfuls of vinegar, sprinkle with allspice, dredge over with a 
little flour upper and under crust. Canned tomatoes are used. 

Pie (Hasty Lemon). — Make and bake an undercrust. Meanwhile, 
put in a nice stewpan juice and little grated peel of one lemon, one 
tup of sugar, one teaspoonful of cornstarch, yolks of two eggs, and 
a small piece of butter. Stir this till it boils, then pour into the crust. 
Beat whites of eggs to a foam, sweeten and flavor a little; pour it 
over the pie, and brown slightly in the oven. 

Pie (Orange). — Three eggs, three-fourths cup of white sugar, two 
tablespoonfuls of butter, one orange — juice and half the grated peel — 
and nutmeg to taste. Cream the butter and sugar, beating in the 
orange and lemon until very light. Add the beaten yolks, fill two 



IVITA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO IV. 345 

pastry shells, and bake. Beat the whites stiff with two tablespoon- 
fuls of powdered su^ar, and when the pies are done, spread over 
them, returnin;^ to the oven for three or four minutes. 

Pie (Oyster). — Mal<e a paste as for pie crust, line a shallow pan 
with it, put in a layer of oysters, flavor with salt and bits of butter, 
.add a layer of bread or cracker crumbs, another layer of oysters, 
etc., add the liquor, cover with a crust, and bake. 

Pie-plates — how to care for. — Fie-plates that have been used 
much for bakinj^ are apt to impart an unjWeasant taste to the pies, 
which is owing to the lard and butter of the crust soakinj^ into them 
and becoming rancid. It may be removed by putting them into a 
brass kettle, with ashes and cold water, and boiling them in it an 
hour. 

Pies — that stew over. — Every housekeeper knows the tnjuble 
that comes from the overflow of the contents of pies in baking. Not 
only is the exterior (jf the pie soiled, but the juice that falls upon the 
hot floor of the oven is burned, and gives the pie-crust an unpleas- 
ant, smoky flavor. This trouble may be completely prevented by 
taking a strip ai cotton cloth, all the better if somewhat worn, about 
an inch and a half wide, and long enough to go around the pie. This 
strip being wet, is put around the edge of the pie, half of its width to lap 
upon the crust, and the fjther half upon the i>late. This is done be- 
fore the j)ie goes into the oven, and the strip may be removed when 
it is taken (Uil, or left on until the pie goes to the table. 

Pigs' Feet (Friedj. — Make a batter, dip the feet into it. Fry in 
hot fat until brcjwn. Make a little drawn butter, then add a spoonful 
of vinegar to serve with them. 

Pigs — paralysis in. — Pigs are frequently subject to a partial 
paralysis ui the nerves of the lumbar region, by which motion of the 
hind quarters is rendered difficult ux imi)ossible. It sometimes re- 
sults from inflammation of the covering membrane of the spinal cord, 
caused by exposure to cold. The remedy is to rub turpentine or 
mustard paste upon the loins, and to give a teaspoonful of saltpeter 
in the fo<jd once a day. Dry pens and protection from rains in the 
hot season are the best preventives. 

Pig (Roast). — Three or four weeks is The right age to roast whole. 
Cut off the toes, leaving the skin long to wrap around the ends of the 
legs, and put it in cold water. Make a stuffing of five or six powder- 
ed crackers, one tablespoonful of sage, two of summer savory, one 
chopped onion, one-half pint of cream, two eggs, pepper and salt. 
Mix these together, and stew about fifteen minutes. Take the pig 
from the water, (ill it with stuffing, and sew it up. Boil the liver and 
heart with five peppercorns, and chf>p fine for the gravy. I*ut the pig 
to roast with a pint oi water and a tablespoonful of sail. When it be- 
gins to roast, flour it well and baste itwiih the drippings. Bake three 
hours. 

Piles — cure for. — The ingredients are: Two tablcspoonfuls of tar, 
eight tablesp(jonfuls of lard, not heaped. First wash the parts affected 



346 IVHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

with castile soap and water, and then apply the ointment. The oint- 
ment should be used once or twice each day. 

Pills — Abernethy's. — Each pill contains two grains of blue pill and 
three grains compound extract of colocynth. 

Pills — Brandeth's. — Take two pounds of aloes, one pound of 
gamboge, four ounces of extract of colocynth, one-half pound of cas- 
tile soap, three fluid drams of oil of peppermint, and one fluid dram 
of cinnamon. Mix, and form into pills. 

Pills — Dropsy. — Jalap, fifty grains; gamboge, thirty grains; podo- 
phyllin, twenty grains; elatarium, twelve grains; aloes, thirty grains; 
cayenne, thirty-five grains; castile soap, shaved and pulverized, twenty 
grains; croton oil, ninety drops; powder all finely, and m.ix thor- 
oughly; then form into pill mass, by using a thick mucilage made of 
equal parts of gum arable and gum tragacanth, and divide in three- 
grain pills. Dose, one pill every three days for the first week; then 
every three or four days, until the water is evacuated by the combined 
aid of the pill with the alum syrup. This is a powerful medicine, and 
will well accomplish its work. 

Pills — to sugar coat. — Pills to be sugar coated must be very dry, 
otherwise they will shrink away from the coating, and leave it a shell 
easily crushed off. When they are dry, you will take starch, gum 
arable, and white sugar, equal parts, rubbing them very fine in a 
marble mortar, and if damp, they must be dried before rubbing to- 
gether; then put the powder into a suitable pan, or box, for shaking; 
now put a few pills into a small tin box having a cover, and pour on 
them just a little simple syrup, shaking well to moisten the surface 
only; then throw into the box of powder, and keep in motion until 
completely coated, dry and smooth. If you are not very careful, you 
will get too much syrup upon the pills; if you do, put in more, and be 
quick about it to prevent moistening the pill too much, getting them 
into the powder as soon as possible. 

Pine (Stained) — to imitate black walnut. — The Liimberman recom- 
mends the following manner of staining pine to represent black wal- 
nut: Put pulverized asphaltum into a bowl with about twice its bulk 
of turpentine and set where it is warm, shaking from time to time 
until dissolved; then strain and apply with either a cloth or a stiff 
brush. Try a little first, and if the stain be too dark, thin it with tur- 
pentine. When the wood is thoroughly dry, polish with a mixture of 
two parts shellac varnish and one part boiled oil. Apply by putting 
a few drops at a time on a cloth and rubbing briskly over the wood. 

Pine (Stained) — to imitate mahogany. — Pinework brushed two or 
three times with a strong boiling decoction of logwood chips, and 
varnished with a solution of shellac in alcohol, appears almost like 
maljogany, both in color and hardness. After washing with decoc- 
tion of logwood and drying thoroughly, it should receive two coats of 
varnish. Then carefully sandpaper and polish, and give a final coat 
of shellac varnish. 

Pine Floors — imitation of oak — An oaken color can be given, to 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO IV. 347 

new pine floors and tables by washing them in a solution of copperas 
dissolved in strong lye, a pound of the former to a gallon of the latter. 
When dry, this should be oiled, and it will look well for a year or two; 
then renew the oiling. 

Pin Cushion Filling. — Coffee grounds make a highly successful 
filling for a pin cushion. They must be dried perfectly before using. 
Put them in a bag and hang behind the kitchen stove till you have 
enough that are dry to fill the cushion. They do not gather -moisture, 
and consequently do not rust the needle. 

Pip — to cure. — This is a troublesome and somewhat fatal com- 
plaint to which all domestic poultry are liable; it is also a very com- 
mon one. Some writers say it is the result of cold; others, that it is 
promoted by the use of bad water. But, whatever the cause, the dis- 
ease is easily detected. There is a thickening of the membrane of 
the tongue, particularly at the tip; also a difficulty in breathing; the 
beak is frequently held open, the tongue dry, the feathers of the head 
ruffled, and the bird falls off its food; and if neglected, dies. The 
mode of cure which, if put in practice in time, is generally success- 
ful, is to remove the thickened membrane from the tongue with the 
nails of the forefinger and thumb. The process is not difficult, for 
the membrane is not adhesive. Then take a lump of butter, rnix into 
it some strong Scotch snuff, and put two or three large pills of this 
down the fowl's throat. Keep it from cold and damp, and it will 
soon recover. It may, perhaps, be necessary to repeat the snuff 
balls. Some writers recommend a mixture of butter, pepper, gariic, 
and scraped horseradish; but we believe the Scotch snuff to be the 
safest, as it is the most simple. 

Pitting from Small-pox, etc. — to prevent. — The following treat- 
ment has been found very successful in preventing those fearful 
marks which small-pox and other like diseases so often leave be- 
hind: With a camel's-hair brush apply to each spot or pustule on all 
exposed surfaces of the face and person a little acetum cantharidis, or 
any vesicating fluid. As soon as blistering is evident by the whiten- 
ing of the skin in the parts subjected to the application, the fluid pro- 
ducing it must be washed off with warm water or very thin arrow- 
root. The pain of this application is very slight and very transient; 
the benefit of it immense and permanent. 

Planing Perpendicularly. — In planing perpendicularly, it is nec- 
essary to swivel the bottom of the small head around, so it will stand 
about three-fourths of an inch inside of square, toward the piece you 
are to plane. This prevents breaking the tool when the bed runs 
back. 

Plants (House) — fertilizer for. — When plants are in a growing 
state they may be stimulated by the use of guano water. A small 
teacupful of Peruvian guano dissolved in a pailful of rain water is 
strong enough; water the soil with this once, or at most twice a 
week. The water of ammonia (hartshorn) is about as good, and can 



348 IVIIA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO H '. 

be had everywhere. If of ordinary strength add a fourth of an ounce 
(two teaspoonfuls) to a gallon of water, and use as above stated 

Plants — hast for. — A lady Avho has been very successful with 
plants makes two suggestion as to their management. Every gar- 
dener and florist knows the value of what is called bottom heat** A 
warm atmosphere — especially if a dry one — is often sufficient to 
bring about healthy growth, and is sometimes injurious. What is 
wanted for many kind of plants and flowers, is moist heat at the 
roots and fibers, where growth early starts, and from whence the 
stimulus is conveyed to every other part of the plant. A thrifty 
growth below the ground is sure to be followed by frui: and flowers 
above." 

She accomplished this by filling the saucers of her flower pots with 
hot water. This was, of course, absorbed and carried up to the roots 
and fibers, giving the required bottom heat. Unthrifty plants, in 
addition to this, she placed on the mantelpiece over the kitchen 
ranger keeping them, of course, well watered. It supplied heat 
where it is most wanted — at the roots — and the benefit was marked 
In warm rooms the temperature is at the top, and the coldest near 
the floor where the pots are This reverses the proper order giving 
the roots of a plant the coldest place. 

Another important matter in house plants is to give them the 
morning sun. Windows where flowers are kept should, therefore 
face the east. The reasons are not known, perhaps, but the fact is 
patent to all those whose business it is to develop healthy growth in 
plants and flowers, that an hour of morning sun is worth three hours 
of afternoon sun. 

Plant Lice — kerosene for. — A correspondent, after using carbolic 
acid for the scale bug on orange trees, camelias, etc., which proved 
too strong in solution, destroying both plants and insects, employed 
pure kerosene through an atomizer spraying it over camelias. The 
leaves were covered with the scale and black fungus. A very small 
quantuy was enough to cover the whole plant. After the fluid had 
evaporated the scales were found dead, shriveled and detached; the 
black fungus was dried to a loose powder The same remedy was 
tried on pelargoniums, and the flower-buds of green-house roses, but 
these were too delicate, and the new and tender growth, as well as 
the insects, were destroyed. 

Plants — to prepare for winter. — It is a great mistake to delay the 
work of preparation for winter until it is suggested by cool nights or 
a warning given by blighting frosts. When a plant has been taken 
from a pot and planted in open ground it usually outgrows its former 
place, and is too large for any vessel of convenient size. The root 
should be cut away to a considerable extent and likewise the top or 
foliage must be correspondingly reduced Novices often fail at this 
point, for they dislike to part with any of the new growth, and set 
the plant in a pot unpruned and expect what is not possible, that it 
will flourish. Cut back root system and branch system equally is the 



IVHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W, 349 

rule. Plants when thus transplanted need to be favored by being 
kept in the shade and sheltered from the drying winds until they 
have made a good start in the pots. Many of the house plants are 
kept \n their pots during the summer and will need repotting, or the 
pot washed and the surface soil replaced by fresh, rich earth A 
larger pot is needed by those plants whose roots have formed a mat 
along the inner surface. The ball of earth can be examined quickly 
by spreading the left hand on the vessel — the stem passing between 
the fingers, and with the other hand on the bottom invert the pot 
and give the edge a downward tap against some object If this does 
not succeed, pour some water around the edge, and aftei a short time 
repeat the operation. All old pots should be clean, and if the new 
ones are used soak them in water until the pores are filled. A piece 
of broken vessel is placed over the bottom hole before filling in the 
potting earth. All the necessary pots soil, etc., should be abandon- 
ed now, that they may be at hand when needed at any time during 
the winter. 

Plants — to repot. — Shake the old earth from the plants after tney 
commence to grow in spring then pot them into smaller pots than 
those just occupied, as the plants make fresh growth and fill these 
pots with roots, repot into those of a size larger, and so on until the 
plants are in their flowering pots. By adopting this plan the plants 
are supplied with fresh soil from time to time, and not kept growing 
on from year to year in the same soil, which soon becomes exhausted. 
The above remarks apply more particularly to such plants as fuchsias, 
pelargoniums, etc. 

Plants — specimens for preservation. — The plants you wish to pre- 
serve should be gathered when the weather is dry. and after placing 
the ends in water, let them remain in a cool place till the next day. 
When about to be submitted to the process of drying place each plant 
between several sheets of blotting-paper, and iron it with a large 
smooth heater, pretty strongly warmed, till all the moisture is dissi- 
pated. Colors may thus be fixed, which otherwise become pale, or 
nearly white. Some plants require more moderate heat than others, 
and herein consists the nicety of the experiment; but I have gen- 
erally found, that if the iron be not too hot, and is passed rapidly, yet 
carefully, over the surface of the blotting-paper, it answers the pur- 
pose equally well with plants of almost every variety of hue and 
thickness. In compound flowers, with those also of a stubborn and 
solid form, as the centaurea, some little art is required in cutting 
away the under part, by which means the profile and forms of the 
flowers will be more distinctly exhibited. This is especially neces- 
sary, when the method employed by Major Velley is adopted, viz., to 
fix the flowers and fructification down with gum upon the paper pre- 
vious to ironing, by which means they become almost incorporated 
with the surface. When this very delicate process is attempted, blot- 
ting-paper should be laid under every part excepting the blossoms, in 



350 WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

order lo prevent staining the white paper. Great care must be taken 
to keep preserved specimens in a dry place. 

Plants — to start early. — A writer on gardening gives the follow- 
ing hints on starting tender seeds, such as tomatoes, squashes 
melons and the like: *" It is desirable in transplanting not to check 
the growth by disturbing the roots. A good way to avoid this is to 
scrape out turnips, fill them with good soil and plant in two or three 
seeds setting them in a warm, light place, and keeping them moist. 
When the weather is suitable, place these out in the garden at the 
proper depth The turnip will decay and the plant will thrive un- 
checked if properly cared for. Do not use potatoes instead of tur- 
nips Another method is to get squares of sod, say six inches wide, 
from good, mellow soil, turn them bottom up and put such seeds as 
squash, melon or sweet corn, and treat them in the same way, not 
putting out till the weather is quite warm, and then protecting against 
bugs. For more delicate plants, flowers, etc., make little square 
paper boxes out of thin writing paper, or thick newspaper, merely 
folding them at the corners as you would the paper in covering a 
book, and tacking them with a needle and thread; make them about 
three inches square and two deep Fill with good soil, start the seeds 
and put them out at the proper time, boxes and all, without disturb- 
ing the roots. If you fear the paper is too strong for the roots to 
penetrate cut carefully on the bottom of the box the shape of a cross, 
and all will be well. 

Plants — for the window. — The necessity of a gradual change must 
be emphasized in removing plants from the open air to the dwelling • 
rooms. It is best to place the plants in a room where there is no fire, 
and one that can be opened during the day. After a while the plants 
may be taken to the close living-room, in which there is a fire. 

Plants — winter care of. — Plants in the winter require very much 
less water than in summer. Never water unless the surface of the 
soil is dry. There are exceptions to this in the case of callas and such 
plants as require a great deal of water, but this is a good rule for 
most plants. A great many persons persist in watering plants every 
day whether it is needed or not. In this way the soil becomes sour 
and heavy, and the plant diseased. Always use water moderately 
warm. 

Plaster (Adhesive) — useful as strapping for cuts, etc.— Ingredi- 
ents. Three-fourth pound of diachylon, and one-half ounce of 
pounded yellow resin. Put these into a jar, and melt them by the 
side of the fire, stirring them continually. When properly melted, 
and nearly cold, spread the plaster thinly on linen or thin leather. 
The plaster must l>e warmed before it is used. 

Plasters (Carbolic). — Carbolic glycerine, thirty-four parts by 
weight, prepared chalk, ninety-four parts. Mix well by kneading, 
and inclose in closely-stoppered jars. 

Plasters (Irritating). — Boil together one pound tar, half an ounce 
burgundy pitch, one ounce white pine turpentine, and two ounces 



WHA T E VER V ONE SJIO ULD KNO W. 351 

resin. Finely powder one ounce each mandrake root, blood root, 
poke root, and Indian turnip. Stir these into the melted tar, etc., be- 
fore It cools. This plaster, spread on muslin and renewed daily, will 
raise a sore, which is to be wiped with a dry cloth, to remove matter, 
etc. The sore must not be wetted. This a powerfid counter-irritant 
for removing' internal pains, and in other cases where an irritating 
plaster is necessary. 

Plasters (Mustard). — By using syrup or molasses for mustard 
plasters they will keep soft and flexible, and not dry up and become 
hard, as when mixed with water. A thin paper or line cloth should 
come between the plaster and the skin. The strength of the plaster 
may be varied Ijy the addition of more or less flour. 

Plaster of Paris Cast from a Person's Face. — The person must 
lie on his back, and his hair be tied behind; into each nostril put a 
conical piece of i)aper, open at each end, to allow of breathing. The 
face is to be lightly oiled over, and the plaster being properly pre- 
pared, is to be poured over the face, taking particular care that the 
eyes are shut, till it is a quarter of an inch thick. In a few minutes 
the plaster may be removed. In this a mold is to be formed, from 
which a second cast is to be taken, that will furnish casts exactly like 
the original. 

Plastered Walls — home repairs of. — Small holes in white plas- 
tered walls can be easily repaired without sending for the mason. 
Equal parts of plaster of Paris and white sand — such as is used in 
most families for scouring purposes — mixed with water to a paste, 
applied immediately and smoothed with a knife or flat piece of wood, 
will make the broken place as good as new. The mixture hardens 
very fjuickly, so it is best to prepare but a small quantity at a time. 

Plaster of Paris — substitute for. — Best whiting, two pounds; glue, 
one pound; linseed oil, one pound. Heat all together, and stir thor- 
oughly. Let the compound cc^ol, and then lay it on a stone covered 
with powdered whiting, and heat it well till it becomes of a tough and 
firm consistence; then put it by for use, covering with wet cloths to 
keep it fresh. When wanted for use, it must be cut in pieces adapted 
to the size of the mold, into which it is forced by a screw press. The 
ornament may be fixed to the wall, picture-frame, etc., with glue or 
white lead. It becomes in time as hard as stone itself. 

Plates — to clean. — Hartshorn is one of the best possible ingredi- 
ents for i)late-powder in daily use. It leaves on the silver a deep, 
polish, and is less hurtful than any (ither article. To wash plate 
carefully, first to remove all the grease from it, and this can be 
done with the use of warm water and soap. The water should ];e as 
nearly hot as the hand can bear it. Then mix as much hartshorn 
powder as will be required into a thick paste with cold water. Smear 
this lightly over the plate with a piece of soft rag, and leave it for 
some little time to dry. When perfectly dry, brush it off quite clean 
with a soft plate-brush, and polish the plate with a dry leather. If 



352 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

the plate be very dirty or much tarnished, spirits of wine will be 
found to answer better than the water for mixing the paste. 

Placques of Wood. — Most of the pretty placquesof wood so much 
used to paint on have no rings on the back, and consequently can- 
not be hung on the wall. To remedy this get a curtain ring; through 
this put a loop or ribbon or thin cloth, and glue this loop to the back 
of the placque. Be sure to have it exactly in the center, and do not 
try to hang it up until it is perfectly dry. 

Plumes (Ostrich) — to clean. — White ones can be cleaned by taking 
four ounces of white soap, cut it into small pieces, dissolve in four 
pints of water, rather hot, and make a lather; into this dip the feathers, 
and wash gently with the hands for about ten minutes; rinse in hot 
water and shake until dry. Ostrich tips can be curled by holding 
them in the steam from water until they are damp, and then drawing 
each fiber separately over the blade of a blunt knife. 

Plumes — to curl. — To curl plumes, put some coals of fire on a 
shovel, sprinkle brown sugar on the coals, and hold the plumes in the 
smoke. One application will be sufficient to make them as nice as 
new. Another way: Take a little salt and sprinkle it upon the hot 
stove, and hold the plume over the smoke a few minutes. 

Plums (Spiced). — Spiced plums are a good substitute for currant 
jelly to eat with meat. Cook them in a little water, remove the 
stones, spice to suit the taste, and boil until thick. 

Poisons. — I. As a general rule, give emetics after poisons that 
cause sleeplessness and raving; chaik, milk, butter, and warm water, 
or oil, after poisons that cause vomitings and pain in the stomach 
and bowels, with purging; and when there is no inflammation about 
the throat, tickle it with a feather to excite vomiting. Always send 
immediately for a medical man. 

2. When a poison has been swallowed, send immediately for a 
physician, and in the meantime give a tablespoonful of ground mus- 
tard in a tumblerful of warm water, until vomiting occurs; if there is 
no mustard, common salt will answer. If an alkali like washing soda 
is taken, give vinegar and water, and follow in a short time with an 
emetic. 

Poison (Adder's) — treatment. — Apply spirits of ammonia on lint 
to the part, and give the patient frequently small doses of ammonia 
and warm water, till medical aid arrives. 

Poisons and their Antidotes. — The following list gives some of 
the more common poisons and the remedies most likely to be at hand 
in the case of need. The directions may be old, but in case you get 
a good strong dose of poison down, you will not object to a cure on 
account of its age: 

Acids. — These cause great heat and sensation of burning pain 
from the mouth down to the stomach. Remedies: Magnesia, soda, 
pearl-ash or soap dissolved in water; then use the stomach pump or 
emetic. 

AiKALiES. — Best remedy is vinegar. 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO IV, 353 

Ammonia. — Remedy: lemon juice or vinegar. 

Alcohol. — First cleanse out the stomach by an emetic, and then 
dash cold water on the head and give ammonia (spirits of harts- 
horn). 

Arsenic, — In the first place evacuate the stomach, then give the 
whites of eggs, lime water, or chalk and water, charcoal and the prep- 
arations of iron, particularly hydrate. 

Lead. — White lead or sugar of lead. Remedies; alum, cathartic, 
such as castor-oil and epsom salts especially. 

Charcoal. — In poisons by carbonic acid gas, remove the patient 
to open air, dash cold water on the head and body, and stimulate 
nostrils and lungs by hartshorn, at the same time rubbing the chest 
briskly. 

Corrosive Sublimate. — Give whites of eggs, freshly mixed with 
water, or give wheat flour and water, or soap and water freely. 

Creosote. — Whites of eggs and the emetics. 

Belladonna. — Give emetics, and then plenty of water and vine- 
gar, or lemonade. 

Mushrooms, when Poisonous. — Give emetics, and then plenty of 
vinegar and water, with doses of ether, if handy. 

Nitrate of Silver (lunar caustic). — Give a strong solution of 
common salt and emetics. 

Tartar Emetic. — Give large doses of tea made of galls. Deru- 
vian bark or white oak bark. 

ViRDiGRis. — Plenty of whites of eggs and water. 

White Vitriol. — Give the patient plenty of milk and water. 

Opium. — First give a strong emetic of mustard and water, then 
strong coffee and acid drinks; dash cold water on the head. 

Nux Vomica. — First emetics, then brandy. 

Oxalic acid (frequently taken for epsom salts). — Remedies; chalk, 
magnesia, or soap and water, and other soothing drinks. 

pRUSSic Acid. — When there is time, administer chlorine in the 
shape of soda or lime. Hot brandy and water, hartshorn and tur- 
pentine are also useful. 

Poisons — best antidote for. — If a person swallow any poison 
whatever, or has fallen into convulsions from having overloaded the 
stomach, an instantaneous remedy, more efficient and applicable in a 
larger number of cases than any half a dozen medicines we can now 
think of is a heaping teaspoonful of common salt and as much ground 
mustard stirred rapidly in a teacup of water, warm or cold, and 
swallowed instantly. It is scarcely down before it begins to come 
up, bringing with it the remaining contents of the stomach; and lest 
there be any remnant of the poison, however small, let the white of 
an egg, or a teacup of strong coffee, be swallowed as soon as the 
stomach is quiet. These very common articles nullify a larger num- 
ber of virulent poisons than any medicines in the shops. 

Poison by Ivy and Vines — remedies for. — i. Dissolve sugar of 
lead — a bit the size of a hazlenut — in half a teacup of sweet or milk 



354 ^^//^ T E VER V ONE SHOULD KNO W. 

warm water. Apply as warm as can be easily borne with a soft, linty 
piece of linen x:\^. Three or four applications are sufficient to ellfect 
a cure. If the poison is on the face and nearing the eyes or mouth, 
this astrinj^ent wash may be constantly applied. 

2. Poison occasioned by the runninji^ ivy may be cured by first 
bathing^ the afflicted part thoroughly with a strong sokition of salt and 
water, and then anointing two or three times a day with sweet oil, till 
a cure is effected. In cases of iyy poisoning, bathe the parts in sweet 
spirits niter. 

3. The Medical Record suggests the use in all cases of poisoning by 
this plant of Labarraque's solution of chloride of soda. The acid 
poison requires an alkaline antidote, and this solution meets the indi- 
cation fully. When the skin is unbroken it may be used clear three 
or four times a day; or in other cases diluted with from three to six 
parts of water. After giving this remedy a trial, no one will he dis- 
posed to try anything else. It is one of the most valuable external 
agents known to the profession, and yet seldom appreciatetl and but 
rarely employed. It will sustain its reputation as a local application 
in erysipelas, burns and scalds. 

4. The poison ivy is so very abimdant that were all equally sus- 
ceptible to its influence, we should hear much more of its effects than 
we do at present. With many, the poison produces only a slight 
eruption on the skin and an intense itching. Others are more seri- 
ously affected, and the face swells up to such an extent that the feat- 
ures are hardly visible. Nearly every locality has its popular reme- 
dies for the poison, and new ones are frecjuently proposed. As a 
general thing, most cases are relieved by keeping the bowels open by 
the use of salts, and washing the eruptions with a strong solution of 
sugar of lead. The latest remedy, which is now going the rounds, is 
to bathe the affected parts with lime water, uj^plied as hot as it can be 
borne. This is simple, the remedy is usually at hand, and is worth 
trying, as other alkaline washes have been found useful. No harm 
can result. 

Poison Ivy — how to detect. — The poison ivy and the innocuous 
kind dilTer in t)ne particular, which is too easy of remembrance to be 
overlooked by any one who is interested enough in the brilliant hued 
leaves in autumn to care for gathering them; the leaves of the former 
grow in clusters of threes, and those of the latter in fives. As some- 
body has suggested in a juvenile story book, every child should be 
taught to associate the five leaves to the cluster with the fingers on 
tlK? human hand, and given to understand that when these numbers 
agree they can be brought into contact with perfect safety. 

Poker— to harden. — The fire poker, by constant use, l)ecomessoft, 
and is generally more- or less bent. This arises from its being left in 
the fire and becoming hot, then being put on the fender where it 
slowly cools, an operation which softens the best steel. When a 
poker has thus become soft and bent, it may be again hardened by 
making it hot two or three times, and plunging it e^ery time into tj 



WHA T EVERY ONE SHOULD A'JVOJV. 355 

pail of cold water. The sudden cooling of steel makes it again hard. 

Polish (Liquid Black Lead). — Black lead, pulverized, one pound; 
turpentine, one gill; water, one gill; sugar, one ounce. 

Polish — for brass ornaments inlaid in wood. — If the brass-work 
is very dull, file it with a small, smooth file; then polish it with a 
piece of soft felt dipped in Tripoli powder mized with linseed oil 
until the desired effect is obtained. 

Polish — for furnitnre. — One-third of spirits of wine, one-third of 
vinegar, and one-third of sweet-oil, or rather more of the last. Shake 
the bottle well daily for three weeks; it is then fit for use, but the 
longer it is kept the better it is. The furniture must be rubbed till 
the polish is dry. Use every two or three months, and rub the furni- 
ture over daily when dusted. For dining-room tables and side- 
boards, use it every week; it makes them beautifully bright. 

Polish — for boots and shoes. — Mix together two pints of the best 
vinegar, and one pint of v/ater; stir into a quarter of a pound of 
glue, broken up, half a pound of logwood chips a quarter of an ounce 
of isinglass. Put the mixture over the fire and let it boil ten or fiiteen 
minutes. Then strain the liquid, and bottle and cork it. When cold 
it is fit for use. The polish should be applied with a clean sponge. 

Polish — for furniture. — Equal proportions of turpentine, linseed 
oil and vinegar well rubbed in, and then polished with a piece of 
chamois ^skin, will work wonders with furniture that has become 
dingy from exposure to dust and old age. 

Polish — for furniture. — Fill a pint bottle with equal parts of boiled 
linseed oil and kerosene oil; shake together well, apply Avith a soft 
piece of flannel; rubbing dry with a second piece of flannel. This 
will remove all scratches and white stains. Burn up the rags when 
through with them. 

Polishing Powder for Gold and Silver. — Rock alum burned and 
finely powdered, five parts; levigated chalk, one part. Mix; apply 
with a dry brush. 

Polish — for leather.— Mix intimately together three or four pounds 
of lamp-black and a half pound of burned bones with five pounds of 
glycerine and five pounds of syrup. Then gently warm two and three- 
quarters ounces of gutta-percha in an iron or copper kettle until it 
flows easily, add ten ounces of olive oil, and when completely dis- 
solved, one ounce of stearine. This solution, while still warm is 
poured into the former and well mixed. Then add five ounces of 
gum Senegal dissolved in one and a half pound of water, and a half 
ounce of lavender or other oils to flavor it. For use it is diluted with 
three or four parts of water. It gives a fine polish, is free from acid, 
and the glycerine keeps the leather soft and pliable. 

Polish — for woods. — Mahogany, walnut, and some other vv-oods 
may be polished by the use of the following mixture. Dissolve by 
heat so much beeswax in spirits of turpentine that the mixture, when 
cold, s-hall be of about the thickness of honey. This may be applied 
to furniture or to work running in the lathe by means of a piece of 



356 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNOW. 

clean cloth, and as much as possible should be rubbed off by using a 
clean flannel or other cloth. 

Polish — formahogany. — Ingredients: One-fourth pound of bees- 
wax, one ounce of colophony, two ounces of oil of turpentine. Cut 
the wax into thin pieces, pound the colophony, and melt them 
together in a pipkin; then warm the oil of turpentine, and stir it 
gradually into the pipkin. When thoroughly mixed, the polish may 
be put into a jar and tied over till required. It should be well rubbed 
into the mahogany by means of a smooth piece of woolen cloth. This 
is an excellent polish for general furniture. 

Polish (Starch). — White wax, one ounce, spermaceti, two ounces; 
melt them together with a gentle heat. When you have prepared a 
sufficient amount of starch, in the usual way, for a dozen pieces, put 
into it a piece of the polish about the size of a large pea, more or 
less, according to large or small washings. Or thick gum solution 
(made by pouring boiling water upon gum arabic), one teaspoonful to 
a pint of starch, gives clothes a beautiful gloss. • 

Polish — for stoves. — If stove polish is mixed with very strong 
soap suds; the luster appears immediately, and the dust of the polish 
does not fly around as it usually does. 

Polishing Powder for Specula. — Precipitate a dilute solution of 
sulphate of iron by ammonia in excess; wash the precipitate; press it 
in a screw press till nearly dry; then expose it to heat until it appears 
of a dull red color in the dark. 

Polish for Patent Leather Goods. — Take a half pound of molasses 
or sugar, one ounce of gum arabic, and two pounds of ivory black; 
boil them well together, then let the vessel stand until quite cooled, 
and the contents are settled; after which bottle off. This is an ex- 
cellent reviver, and may be used as a blacking in the ordinary way, 
no brushes for polishing being required. 

Polishing- Tortoise Shell. — Material: Rouge powder. Rub the 
tortoise shell with a linen rag dipped in rouge powder; afterward 
polish with the hand. Tortoise-shell combs should always be rubbed 
with the hand after they are removed from the hair; they will not 
then lose their polish. 

Pomatum. — Take one ounce of spermaceti, one ounce of castor 
oil, four ounces of olive oil, and five cents' worth of bergamot, and 
melt them together in a pot placed in boiling water, stirring the mix- 
ture all the while; when thoroughly mixed, pour the mixture into 
pots while hot. 

Pop-corn— to sugar or crystalize.-^— Put into an iron kettle one 
tablespoonful of water, and one teacupful of white sugar; boil until 
ready to candy, then throw in three quarts of corn nicely popped; 
stir briskly until the candy is evenly distributed over the corn; set 
the kettle from the fire, and stir until it is cooled a little and you 
have each grain separate and crystalized with the sugar; care should 
be taken not to have too hot a fire lest you scorch the corn when 
chrystalizing. Nuts of any kind prepared this way are delicious. 



WHA T E VER V ONE SIIO ULD KNO W. 357 

Porcelain Kettle — to clean. — To clean a browned porcelain ket- 
tle, boil peeled potatoes in it. The porcelain will be rendered nearly 
as white as when new. 

Pork Barrel — to make. — Buy a coal oil barrel; knock one head 
in, take a bunch of old hay, set fire to it and throw it in the barrel; 
let it burn until the staves commence to burn; put it out by turning 
the barrel upside down, scrape the coals off, and you have a good, 
sweet barrel. 

Pork Cheese. — Take the heads and feet of fresh pork, and boil 
them until the meat is so tender that it can be stripped from the 
bones. Chop the meat and season it with salt, pepper and sage to 
suit your taste. Mix with your hands, and put this mixture into 
deep pans with straight sides; press it down closely with a plate that 
fits well over the meat. Place the under side of the plate next to the 
meat, and put a weight upon the top of the plate. When well press- 
ed, turn the pork cheese out of the pan. This cheese is generally 
eaten at supper or breakfast, and after being cut into slices, is dress- 
ed with vinegar or prepared mustard. 

Pork — way to put down. — Pack closely in the barrel, first rub- 
bing salt well into all exposed ends of bones, and sprinkle well be- 
tween each layer, using no brine until forty-eight hours after, and 
then let the brine be strong enough to bear an egg. After six weeks 
take out the hams and bacon and hang in the smoke-house. When 
warm weather brings danger of flies, smoke a week with hickory 
chips, avoiding heating the air much. If one has a dark, close 
smoke-house, as the writer has, the meat can hang in it all summer; 
otherwise pack in boxes, putting layers of sweet dry hay between. 
Long experience has convinced me that this method of packing is 
preferable to packing in dry salt or ashes. 

Pork (Roast). — Take a leg of pork and wash it clean; cut the skin 
in squares; make a stuffing of grated bread, sage, onion, pepper and 
salt, moistened with the yolk of an egg. Put this under the skin of 
the knuckle, and sprinkle a little powdered sage into the rind where 
it is cut; rub the whole surface of the skin over with the feather dip- 
ped in sweet oil. Eight pounds will require about three hours to 
roast it. 

Portable Bath. — Make a small circular boiler of copper or tin, and 
fit the same into an upright tin;; stand, in which, directly under the 
boiler, you must leave an aperture to contain a small spirit lamp. 
The boiler lid must fit tightly and be provided with three small tubes 
pointing upward. The boiler being filled with water and the lamp 
lighted, as soon as the steam gets up, it rushes through these tubes, 
and the patient, seated on a cane chair, with his or her feet in a pan 
of warm water, with a suitable cloak tightly fastened around the 
neck, is speedily enveloped in a cloud of steam. Ten minutes is the 
time recommended for the duration of the first few baths. It maybe 
afterward increased, but not beyond half an hour. On getting out 
of the cloak, plunge into a cool bath for a few minutes, then rub the 



358 WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD A^A'OIF. 

skin till it is quite dry and glowing with a coarse towel and a pair of 
good hair-gloves. Persons in health or disease will experience a 
wonderful recuperative power in the frequent use of this bath, and all 
will find it incomparably superior to the use of drugs in any form 
whatever. 

Posts (Wood) — to preserve. — Experience proves that wood which 
is exposed to the action of water, or put into the ground, should first 
be subjected to charring, and then, before it has entirely cooled, be 
treated with tar until the wood is impregnated in the most thorough 
manner. By proceeding in this manner, the acetic acid and oils con- 
tained in the tar are evaporated by the heat, and only the resin left 
behind, which penetrates the pores of the wood, and forms an air- 
tight and waterproof envelope. It is found important that the posts 
be impregnated somewhat above the line of exposure, as it is here 
that the action of decay affects the wood first. 

Potatoes — to cook. — The universal principle of cooking all vege- 
tables must not be forgotten in preparing potatoes, for the addition 
of salt even with the potato is most essential. The quantity, of course, 
varies much, but will generally be found to be of the proportion of a 
large tablespoonful to half a gallon of water. Most vegetables re- 
quire to be plunged into boiling water; but in some cases the potgito 
forms an exception, for old potatoes should be placed in cold water, 
otherwise, the outside would become pulpy or watery before the in- 
side got soft. Middle-aged potatoes should be boiled in lukewarm 
water, and new follow the almost universal rule of being plunged into 
boiling water, in which, if liked, a little mint may have been placed. 
When quite new, they require only to be rubbed in a cloth, not peeled. 
Potatoes which cannot come under the head of new should be well 
washed (and, to my thinking, those boiled in their skins are prefera- 
ble) and peel with a sharp knife (if a peeler, a most useful and inex- 
pensive adjunct to the kitchen, be not handy), and place them in a 
stew-pan; pour the water over them with the addition of a little salt, 
then put the lid on, and if it does not fit quite close place a weight on 
the top, or the bubbling of the water will force it open and thus allow 
some of the steam to evaporate. Thus keep them for ten minutes, 
and after drain all the water off; by this means, the water having 
no time to soak in, the potatoes will become meal)% otherwise they 
often appear semi-mashed. Then place the stew-pot on the boiler at 
the side of the fire, with a cloth, folded into several thicknesses, over 
the potatoes inside of the lid. The yellow potato, though not so 
sightly on the dinner table as its brother the mealy, has the advan- 
tage of being a better boiler, and one which does not require so much 
attention, not being so readily broken. To steam (by adopting 
which method the potato becomes more digestible and more mealy in 
appearance), first wash and pare, then throw each as it is finished 
into cold water; drain and put into a steamer, which place on an or- 
dinary saucepan, filled with boiling water. Be careful that your 
steamer fits quite tightly, or the steam escaping will not allow the 



JVHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 359 

vegetable to cook; cover closely, and keep them boiling until suffi 
ciently cooked, which can be ascertained by plunging a fork into 
one; if done, the potato will appear soft. Shake the steamer over a 
bowl a few times in order to give them a mealy look. The time de- 
pends much on both the size and the kind of potato, but varies from 
twenty to fifty minutes. 

Potatoes — to boil. — To boil a potato well requires more attention 
than is usually given. They should be well washed and left standing 
in cold water an hour or two, to remove the black liquor with which 
they are impregnated, and a brackish taste they would otherwise 
have. They should not be pared before boiling; they lose much of 
the starch by so doing, and are made insipid. Put them into a kettle 
of clear cold water, with a little salt; cover closely, and boil rapidly, 
using no more water than will just cover them, as they produce a 
considerable quantity of fluid themselves while boiling, and too much 
water will make them heavy. As soon as just done instantly pour 
off the water, set them back on the range, and leave the cover off the 
saucepan till the steam has evaporated. They will then, if a good 
kind, be dry and mealy. This is an Irish recipe, and a good one. 

Potatoes (Boiled). — One of the ways of making a breakfast dish of 
cold potatoes, is to slice about half an inch thick, place in a wire grid- 
iron and broil them, browning both sides equally. As they are re- 
moved, sprinkle each slice with salt and pepper, and place on it a bit 
of butter, and serve hot. 

Potato Balls. — Use mashed potatoes left from the dinner, or mash 
them for the purpose; add the yolk of an ^g^, and make into flattened 
cakes. Dip these in ^gg and cracker crumbs, and fry, or place upon 
a greased griddle and brown evenly on both sides. 

Potatoes a la Creme. — Put into a saucepan three tablespoonfuls 
of butter, a little chopped parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Stir up 
well until hot, add a small teacupful of cream, thicken with two tea- 
spoonfuls of flour, and stir until it boils. Chop some cold boiled po- 
tatoes, put into the mixture and boil up once. 

Potatoes (Fried). — The first essential is to have the potatoes all 
sliced of an even thickness. This in large establishments is accom- 
plished by means of an apparatus in which a board has a knife fas- 
tened in it after the manner of a sauer-kraut cutter, or dried-beef 
slicer, the edge of the knife placed far enough above the level of the 
board to give the required thickness. The peeled potatoes are put in 
a frame v/hich slides back and forth over the knife, and this has a 
follower to keep the potatoes in place. By means of this a large 
quantity can be rapidly sliced, and with the greatest uniformity. The 
next requisite is a kettle with an abundance of very hot lard, and 
the next a wire cage. The sliced potatoes are placed in the cage, 
plumped into the lard, and at the proper instant, which can only be 
learned by experience, they, by means of the cage, are all withdrawn 
at once. A few shakes free them from all adhering fat, and if the 
operation is properly done the potatoes may be served on a napkin 



jC>o W/IA T E VER Y ONE SIIO ULD KNO W. 

without greasing it. All these are necessary in order to have fried 
potatoes in perfection. 

We have had satisfactory results from carefully slicing the potatoes 
with a knife and letting them drop into ice-water; taking out a hand- 
ful at a time, putting them into a towel, and giving it a few jerks to 
dry them, and then popping them into fat, from which as soon as 
done they were removed by a large skimmer. Then another portion 
was done. The use of ice-water tends greatly to preserve the crisp- 
ness. Of course, great excellence in this as in many other matters is 
only possible where the operation is done upon a large scale, but by 
taking proper pains the home-made article can be greatly improved. 

Potatoes (Fricasseed). — Peel the potatoes and slice very thin, as 
for frying, and allow them to remain in cold water for half an hour. 
Place in a pudding dish, adding salt, pepper, and milk; put in the 
oven and bake for an hour. When taken out, cut a lump of butter 
half as big as a hen's ^^g into small bits and scatter them over the 
top just before serving. We find that some potatoes need longer 
baking, two hours not being too much. The quantity of milk should 
be sufficient to leave a little rich gravy to moisten the potatoes; half a 
pint to a dish of moderate size will usually be enough, but this can be 
learned by experience. If this is once tried it will be very sure to be 
repeated. 

Potatoes (Lyonnaise). — Half a pound of cold boiled potatoes; 
two ounces of onion; a heaping teaspoonful of chopped parsley; but- 
ter the size of an q^^. Slice the cold potatoes; put the butter into a 
saucepan, and when hot throw in the onion (minced), and fry to a 
light color; add the potatoes; stir until hot and light brown; then 
mix the parsley, and serve hot. 

Potatoes (Mashed). — Peel ten medium-sized potatoes, carefully 
taking out all eyes or imperfections, and throw in a crock of cold 
water. When you commence operations, put on the stove over a 
brisk fire a clean iron pot, one-third full of clean water. While yon 
are peeling, the water will come to aboil. As soon as it boils briskly, 
throw in the potatoes one by one. Cover closely, and in about fifteen 
minutes you can try them with a fork. If they are easily pierced, 
take off the pot and drain the water off, leaving potatoes in pot. Take 
a wooden masher and work them fine in the pot. Add a teacupful of 
sweet cream and half a tablespoonful of salt. Use the masher vigor- 
ously until well mixed, then add a lump of butter size of small egg. 
Mix again with masher. Now take a strong table-fork, and work 
through the mass until as light as feathers. Take up in hot dish with 
ladle, smooth over top, make several holes with edge of ladle or 
knife, and fill these with lumps of good, sweet butter; than take a 
pinch of black pepper from the pepper-box and dot over top. Serve 
immediately. Ancjther says: The best way, to mash potatoes is to 
beat them with a fork. Stir rapidly, and every lump will soon van- 
ish, leaving the mass much lighter and flakier than does the common 
way. 



WIIA T E VER V ONE SIIO ULD KNO W. 361 

Potatoes — for breakfast. — A nice way to prepare potatoes for 
breakfast is to cut cold boiled ones in square pieces, and dip them in 
beaten ^%^, and put them on a buttered pie-plate in the oven ; when 
they are hot and brown send them to the table. 

Potatoes (Sweet) — to bake. — Sweet potatoes baked under a roast 
of beef or lamb are very nice. Take the skin off carefully so as to 
leave the surface smooth, wash and put them under the meat, allow- 
ing half an hour for a medium-sized potato. If any are left do not 
throw them away, but warm them for breakfast. Slice them thin and 
fry brown in butter. 

Potato Salad. — Slice cold boiled potatoes very thin, place in a 
dish, strewing among them pepper and salt, and a little onion and 
parsley chopped fine; add vinegar enough to slightly moisten. This 
is excellent with cold meats. Those who like oil will find it a great 
improvement to add it. Make the salad an hour or two before it is 
to be eaten. 

Potato Beetle — remedy for. — A farmer states that he uses only 
coal gas tar to prevent the ravages of the potato beetle. He puts a 
gallon of tar in a tub, over which he pours boiling water, which is 
allowed to settle and cool. This is sprinkled over the vine with an 
ordinary sprinkler. A gallon of tar suffices for several acres of po- 
tatoes. 

Potatoes — to preserve from rot. — Dust over the floor of the bin 
with lime, and put in about six or seven inches of potatoes, and dust 
with lime as before, then more potatoes, using about one bushel of 
lime to forty bushels of potatoes. The lime improves the flavor of 
the potatoes, and effectually kills the fungi which causes the rot. 

An old veteran farmer, vv'ith sixty-three years' experience, has suc- 
cessfully fought the potato rot in the ground, as follows: He plants 
them in the latter part of April, or beginning of May, and in the old 
of the moon. When six inches high they are plastered and dressed 
out nicely. Now for the secret. When blossoming, take two parts 
plaster, and one part fine salt, mix well together, and put one large 
spoonful of this compound as near the center of each hill as possible. 
When ripe, take them out of the ground, have them dry when put in 
the cellar, and keep them in a dry, cool place. 

Potatoes — how to get new varieties. — When the vines are done 
growing and are turned brown, the seed is ripe; then take the balls 
and string with a large needle and strong thread; hang them in a dry 
place, where they will gradually dry and mature, without danger or 
injury from frost. In the month of April, soak the ball for several 
hours from the pulp; when washed and dried, they are fit for sowing 
in rows, in a bed well prepared in the garden; they will sprout in a 
fortnight; they must be attended to like other vegetables. When 
about two inches high, they may be thinned and transplanted into 
rows. As they increase in size, they should be hilled. In the 
autumn many of them will be of the size of a walnut, and from that 
to a pea. In the following spring they should be planted in hills, 



362 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

placing the large ones together; they will in the second season at- 
tain their full size, and will exhibit several varieties of form, and may 
then be selected to suit the judgment of the cultivator. I would pre- 
fer gathering the balls from potatoes of a good kind. The first crops 
from seeds thus obtained will be productive, and will continue so for 
many years, gradually deteriorating, until they will need a renewal 
by the process. 

Pot-Pourri (Perfume) — to make. — One-half pound of common 
salt, one-fourth of saltpeter, one fourth ounce of storax, half a dozen 
cloves, a handful of dried bay-leaves, a handful of dried lavender- 
flowers. Mix these well together to form the basis of the pot-pourri. 
It will last for years. Rose-leaves and the leaves of any other fragrant 
flowers gathered on dry days, may be added from time to time. If 
approved, powdered benzoin, chips of sandal-wood, cinnamon, orris- 
root — indeed, any aromatic plant dried, may be mixed in. 

Pots (Iron) — to mend. — Mix finely sifted lime with some white of 
an ^ZZ^ ti^l ^ \\i\^ kind of paste is formed, then add some iron filings. 
Apply this to the fracture, and the vessel will be found nearly as 
sound as ever. 

Petted Beef. — Take four pounds of good lean beef, cut it up well 
and put over it a dessertspoonful of saltpeter, a tablespoonful of salt, 
and a tablespoonful of sugar. Let this pickle remain on the meat for 
twenty-four hours. Now put the meat in a jar, cover the top with 
suet off the meat, cover it closely, and put it in the oven to bake for 
three or more hours; pour off the gravy, which may serve for many 
purposes; take the meat and pound it well in a mortar; then add 
three-quarters of a pound of fresh butter; a little cayenne or other 
pepper (not too much); taste and see if there is sufficient salt. Wait 
until it is quite cold before pressing it into pots. Cover it over with 
melted suet. It will be found very nice. 

Poudrette (Home-made). — Few fertilizers are wasted with the 
prodigality of extravagance which attends the use of night soil, while 
the exercise of a little care and attention is all that is required to se- 
cure one of the most powerful fertilizers in existence. Night soil con- 
tains phosphate of lime, which is essential to the growth of animals' 
bones, and which is not supplied from the atmosphere like carbonic 
acid and ammonia. In order to receive the droppings in a managea- 
ble and inoffensive state, the vault should be provided with a large, 
tight box made of matched plank, placed to slide on scantling, so that 
it can be drawn out, by attaching a horse, Avhenever required. Pro- 
vide plenty of dry, black loam from the woods or swamps; refuse 
charcoal; dry peat, or alluvial deposits answer first rate. Keep them 
dry, in barrels or boxes on the spot, under cover; spread a thick 
layer on the bottom of the receiving box, and at intervals of a few 
days throw in a liberal supply of these absorbents on the accumulat- 
ing deposit. If a few handfuls of plaster are thrown in occasionally, 
it will suppress unpleasant odors and increase the value of the ma- 
nure. The emptying of slops and dishwater in the box should be 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO IV. 363 

strictly prohibited. When the box is filled, you can remove it, and 
convert it into poudrette. For this purpose it must be worked over 
with an additional quantity of muck, or other absorbent, in such pro- 
portions that it will form, with what has been previously added, about 
three-quarters of the entire compound. The working should be done 
under a.shed, and the whole kept perfectly dry. It should be shoveled 
over and mixed several times at intervals, and finally screened, and 
made as uniform throughout as possible; the finer it is pulverized, and 
the drier it is kept, the better. 

Poultice (Different Kinds) — to make. — Bread Poultice. — Take 
stale bread and crumbs, pour boiling water over it, and boil till soft, 
stirring it well; then take it from the fire, and gradually stir in a little 
hog's lard or sweet oil, so as to render the poultice pliable when ap- 
plied. 

CoRNMEAL Poultice. — Indian meal, five tablespoonfuls; rye flour, 
one tablespoonful. To be gradually let through the fingers into boil- 
ing water, briskly stirring at the same time. Then add a little oil, as 
for the bread poultice. 

Apple Poultice. — Apples pared and cored, and well boiled, then 
well washed into a pulp, form a very good poultice. 

Starch Poultice. — Starch, any quantity; thicken with boiling 
water. When a little cool, stir in a little lard or oil. 

Slippery-elm Poultice. — Take slippery elm in powder, and mix 
with water until somewhat thick, then boil it a few minutes. It is to 
be applied warm. 

Yeast Poultice. — Wheat flour, one pound; yeast, half a pint. Mix 
them together over a gentle heat until the mixture begins to rise, then 
apply warm. 

Mustard Poultice. — Flour of mustard, one part; flaxseed meal, 
one part. Make into a paste with water. A little oil or lard should 
be added to prevent its sticking. 

Hop Poultice. — Boil a handful of hops for a few minutes in a pint 
of water in a covered vessel; squeeze out the juice and strain. This 
liquor is now to be put again on the fire and thickened with Indian 
meal, and a little lard added as it becomes cool. 

Spice Poultice. — Cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and ginger, of each 
equal quantities; honey or molasses to mix. 

Alum Poultice. — Put the white of a couple of eggs into a plate, 
and then with a piece of alum between the thumb and finger stir it 
into a curd. To be applied wrapped in a fiae piece of linen, having 
but one fold, next the skin. 

Poultice for old Sores. — Scrape yellow carrots, wilt them in a 
pan or fire-shovel, very soft. It takes out the inflamrnation and 
swelling, and is an excellent poultice for asceris breast. 

Poultice — how to make and rpply, — In order to relieve spasm, as 
in colic — intestinal, biliary, or renal; to relieve inflammation of the 
pleura, the lungs, liver, or other organs, Vv'e want to apply the poul- 
tice as hot as possible, while we protect the skin from being scalded. 



364 WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

In order to do this, a flannel bag should be prepared, a convenient 
size being twelve by eight inches. This should be closed at the sides 
and at one end, and left open at the other, and one side of the flannel 
should be about an inch and a half longer in order to fold it over and 
baste, when filled with the poultice, and it is convenient to have four 
tapes attached to the points which form the corners when the bag is 
closed in order to keep the poultice in position. Besides this, another 
strip of flannel should be prepared of the same breadth of the length 
of the bag, and long enough to wrap around it once or more. 

Crushed linseed, bowl and spoon should then be got together, and 
the bowl and spoon thoroughly heated by means of boiling water. 
The poultice should then be made with actively boiling water, and 
should be mixed rather soft. As soon as it is ready it should be 
poured into the bag which has been heated by holding before the fire. 
The flap formed by the long side of the bag is now folded over and 
fastened in place by a few long stitches with coarse thread. It should 
then be quickly wrapped in the strip of flannel (also warmed) iwid 
fastened in place if necessary by means of the strings. It may be 
covered outside with a sheet of cotton batting. In this way the poul- 
tice may be applied boiling hot to the skin without burning. The two 
layers of flannel, which are at first dry, allow the heat to pass very 
gradually indeed to the skin. 

As the moisture of the poultice soaks through them they become 
better conductors, and the heat passes more quickly, but the increase 
is so gradual that it causes no painful sensation whatever, but only 
one of soothing and comfort. The poultice also keeps much longer 
hot, and the necessity for changing it arises much less frequently. 
The difference between the effect of a poultice made in the ordinary 
way, and in the manner just described, is striking. It is perhaps less 
marked in cases of inflammation than spasm. 

We have seen a patient suffering from intense abdominal pain, at 
once relieved by a poultice made in the manner described, although a 
succession of poultices made in the ordinary way had been utterly 
useless. 

Poultice (Onion). — This poultice, useful for the earache and also 
for (luinsy, is made l)y roasting one or two large onions till (juite soft, 
peeling them, and bruising them to a pulp. The pulp must be put 
quite hot into a muslin bag, and applied to the part requiring it. 

Poultice (Soap). — An excellent poultice for use in cases of cold on 
the lungs, or for croup or hoarseness in children, is made thus: Take 
a small quantity of soft soap and thicken it with Indian meal or flour, 
and spread it upon a cloth, or a better way is to put it into a small 
bag, and lay it upon the flesh. There is less danger of taking cold 
after removing it, than with other poultices, and " it works like a 
charm. 

Poultry Raising — directions. — In raising poultry or stock of any 
kind, it should be the aim of everyone to keep it healthy and improve 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. , 365 

it. You can do it very easily by adopting some systematic rules. 
These may be summed up^in brief as follows: 

1. Construct your house good and warm, as to avoid damp floors, 
and afford a flood of sunlight. Sunshine is better than medicine, 

2. Provide a dusting and scratching place where you can bury 
wheat and corn and thus induce the fowls to take the needful exer- 
cise. 

3. Provide yourself with some good, healthy chickens, none to be 
over three or four years old, giving one cock to every twelve hens. 

4. Give plenty of fresh air at all times, especially in summer. 

5. Give plenty of fresh water daily, and never allow the fowls to 
go thirsty. 

6. Feed them systematically two or three times a day; scatter the 
food so they can't eat too fast, or without proper exercise. Do not 
feed more than they will eat up clean, or they will get tired of that 
kind of food. 

7. Give them a variety of both dry and cooked feed; a mixture of 
cooked meat and vegetables is an excellent thing for their morning 
meal. 

8. Give soft feed in the morning, and the whole grain at night, ex- 
cept a little wheat or cracked corn placed in the scratching-places to 
give them exercise during the day. 

9. Above all things keep the hen-house clean and well ventilated. 

10. Do not crowd too many in one house. If you do, look out for 
disease. 

11. Use carbolic powder occasionally in the dusting bins to destroy 
lice. 

12. Wash your roosts and bottom of laying nests, and whitewash 
once a week in summer,"and once a month in winter. 

13. Let the old and young have as large a range as possible — the 
larger the better. 

14. Don't breed too many kinds of fowls at the same time, unless 
you are going into the business. Three or four will give you your 
hands full, 

15. Introduce new blood into your stock every year or so, by 
either buying a cockerel or sittings of eggs from some reliable 
breeder. 

16. In buying birds or eggs, go to some reliable breeder who has 
his reputation at stake. You may have to pay a little more for birds, 
but you can depend on what you get. Culls are not cheap at any 
price. 

17. Save the best birds for next year's breeding, and send the 
others to market. In shipping fancy poultry to market send it 
dressed. 

18. For very young chicks we make the clabbered milk into 
" Dutch cheese " and use the whey to mix feed for older fowls and 
chickens. From the time they are a week old till sent to market for 
broilers our early chicks have all the milk, sweet or sour, or butter- 



366 IVHA T E VER V ONE SHOULD A' NO W. 

milk, that they can drink. If the home supply of milk falls short of 
the demand, we buy skim milk at two cents a quart, and consider it 
cheap at that. 

19. For laying hens in winter there is nothing better than a liberal 
supply of milk. A pan of warm milk, with a dash of pepper in it, 
every morning, will do more toward inducing hens to lay in cold 
weather than all the egg-food in creation. 

20. For fattening fowls we find that boiled vegetables mixed with 
milk and barley or cornmeal, will put on flesh at an astonishing rate, 

21. The best way to prevent or cure gapes in chickens, is to com- 
mence feeding them whole grains of corn as soon as they are old 
enough to swallow them — say two or three weeks old. The effort 
made by the chick to swallow the whole grain will kill the little red 
worms in the throat, which are the cause of the gapes, and it is easier 
and safer to kill the worms in that way than to attempt to take them 
from the throat with a bent horse-hair, as is sometimes done. It may 
be added that coarse cracked corn is very good feed for chicks very 
young, the coarser parts having somewhat the same effect as whole 
grains on older ones. 

22. Sunflower seeds, fed in small quantities, impart a fine glow to 
the piumeige of poultry. 

23. A good way to make a cheap anij simple chicken nest is to take 
a common box about two feet high, one foot wide, and one foot deep; 
have the back to work on hinges, for which two strips of leather will 
do; nail on to the front a board half the height of the box; but two 
screw-eyes in the top to hang it up. Then fill it with cut straw, and 
yon have a nest easy to clean. 

24. If one has several broods of chickens they ought to have the 
shelter cjf some glass roc)fing. They need not be confined unc'.er the 
glass all the time, but should have easy access to outdoor exercise if 
it is not too cold. A small building or shed after the style of a green- 
house will be found very convenient and useful in rearing early 
broods. 

25. The nest of a setting hen should be nearly flat at the bottom, 
so that the eggs will move easily when the hen puts her feet among 
them. If too rounding, the eggs will crowd together, and when the 
biddy i)iits her foot down with the charactcristic'force of her sex, some- 
thing has to give way, and usually it is the shells of the eggs. 

26. 'i"he coops for young broods should have broad bottoms and 
these should be separate from the coop. On clear days let the hen 
and her brood out; turn up the coop and clean off the bottom thor- 
oughly; let it dry, and sprinkle on a layer of dry earth. 

27. A lath fence made in sections of eight feet, and wired to light 
posts, makes a good temporary fence for a poultry yard. It is cheap 
and will last for several years. It will confine the heavier breeds. 

28. Feed setting hens on corn. It digests slowly, is of an oily and 
heating nature, and much better than any other food for the purpose. 

29. J.ittle chickens need no feed until they are twenty-four hours 



IVIIA T E VER Y ONE SHOULD KNO IV, 367 

old. Some of the brood may be late in hatching. In this case take 
the older ones and feed them by themselves. When all are hatched 
and when they have been dried and vitalized by the hen, remove to 
a nice, roomy, clean, warm coop. Feed the hen as much corn as she 
■wants to eat and give her water. Feed the little things some bread 
crumbs, and corn meal or crushed wheat slightly moistened with 
svYcet milk. Continue this for a few days, feeding a little at a time 
and often. As soon as the chicks can swallow whole jvheat give them 
a feed of that in the evening. Coarsely ground or broken corn 
scalded is a good food for the broods. The morning feed should al- 
ways be warm. Feed the little things apart from the hen or she will 
get more than her share. Give but little water. Keep the hen in the 
coop, and allow the chicks to run about in its vicinity. When they 
get cold they will return to be hovered and warmed. Keep things 
clean and neat in and about the coop, and close it up carefully every 
night. Visit it early in the morning with a nice warm breakfast for 
the chickens. It is work, but light work, to rear chickens, though 
care and regularity are necessary to success. 

30. The best remedy for gapes ever tried, is caustic lime in a dry, 
powdered state. It may be either air or water slaked. Hold the 
chicken in the left hand, open its mouth by the thumb and fore-fin- 
ger, and with the other hand drop a pinch of lime into it. Hold in 
this position a few seconds, until it is obliged to breathe, when it will 
inhale some of the lime, then let it go. One application of the lime 
in this manner has cured every case of the gapes — some of them in 
the last stages. 

31. Old nails, etc., laid in the drinking fountain will do no harm, 
but sometimes good, as iron is a tonic for poultry. Old rusty iron 
may not dissolve in water, but if the rust is fine and mingles with the 
water, iron is sometimes taken into the system in that way. A solu' 
tion of copperas, however, is better, as copperas is sulphate of iron. 

Powders (Custard).— Sago meal and flour, one pound each; colof 
with turmeric to a cream color. Flavor with essential oil of al- 
monds, one dram; essence of lemon, two drams. Use with sweet' 
ened milk to form extemporaneous custards. • 

Powder (Curry). — Turmeric, and coriander seeds, of each, fouf 
ounces; black pepper, two and one-half ounces; ginger fourteen 
drams; cinnamon, mace, and cloves, each one-half ounce; cardamon 
seeds, one ounce; cummin seeds, two drams; cayenne pepper, one 
ounce; powder and mix. 

Powder — for the complexion. — Take white bismuth, one pouid; 
starch powder, one ounce; orris powder, one ounce. Mix and sift 
throngh lawn. Add a drop of attar of roses or neroli. 

Powder — for gold plating. — Prepare a chloride of gold the same 
as for plating with battery. Add to it, when thoroughly washed out, 
cyanuret potassa in a proportion of two ounces to five pennyweights 
of gold. Pour in a pint of clear rain water, shake up well, and then 
let stand till the chloride is dissolved. Add then one pound of pre- 



368 WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

pared Spanish whiting, and then let evaporate in the open air till 
dry, after which put away in a tight vessel for use. To apply it you 
prepare the article in the usual way, and having made the powder 
into a paste with water, rub it upon the surface with a piece of cham- 
ois skin and cotton flannel. 

Powder — for Silvering. — Nitrate of silver and common salt of 
each thirty grains; cream tartar, three and one-half drams; pulverize 
finely and bottle for use. Unequaled for polishing copper and plated 
goods. 

Preston Salts. — Take of sal ammoniac and salts of tartar, of each 
about two ounces; pound up the sal ammoniac into small bits, and 
mix them gently with the salts of tartar. After being well mixed, 
add a few drops of oil of lavender, sufficient to scent, and also a little 
musk; stop up in a glass bottle, and when required for use, add a 
few drops of water, or spirits of hartshorn, when you will immediate- 
ly have strong smelling salts. The musk, being expensive, may be 
omitted; it will still be good. Any person can for a few cents ob- 
tain these ingredients at any druggists. 

Hints About Making Preserves. — It is not generally known that 
boiling fruit a long time, and skimming it well, without the sugar 
and without a cover to the preserving pan, is a very economical and 
excellent way — economical, because the bulk of the scum rises from 
the fruit, and not from the sugar, if the latter is good; and boiling 
it without a cover, allows the evaporation of all the watery particles 
therefrom; the preserves keep firm, and are well flavored. The 
proportions are, three-quarters of a pound of sugar to a pound of 
fruit. Jam made in this way, of currants, strawberries, raspberries, 
or gooseberries, is excellent. 

Preserves (Raspberry). — Allow one pound of fruit to three-quar- 
ters of a pound of sugar. Pick the fruit from the stems, wash and 
drain it in a colander. Place it in a preserving kettle. To five 
pounds of fruit put in one-half pint of cold water. Stir the sugar in 
gradually while the fruit is coming to a boil. When it is up to boil- 
ing heat — just heated through — skim the fruit into a colander. Boil 
the syrup fifteen or twenty minutes. Then place fruit in syrup. Let 
it just boil again. Then place while hot in air-tight jars. This pre- 
serve has a delicious tartiness which is especially relished by in- 
valids. 

Prints — to wash. — It often happens that black and white calico, 
and other printed goods which have a Avhite pattern on a black 
ground, will not bear washing unless some precautions are taken to 
prevent "running;" or, in other words, the white spots acquire a 
reddish color, and the black ground becomes dull and foxy. A case 
of this kind having occurred a sufficient quantity of water was put in 
a wash-boiler, and heated to the boiling point. There were then 
dissolved in it fifty drams red chromate of potash, eighty drams com- 
mon salt, and sixty drams crystals of sal soda. The dress was put 
into this hot bath for five minutes and stirred, and then washed tn 



WHA T E VEK Y ONE SI/O UIJJ KNO W. 369 

clean water until the white spots appeareci perfectly brijT;ht rind clear. 

Prints (Old) — to clean. — Spong^e them un l)oth sides with clean 
water, and then saturate them with the followinj^ mixture: One- 
(|uarter pound chloride of lime, two ounces oxalic acid, and one 
(|uart of water. Well sponj^e down with clean water, and a clean 
picture will be the result. On no account use the above preparations 
on water colors, or prints colored by hand. 

Prints — to transfer. — Take of gum sandarac, four ounces; mastic, 
om; ounce; Venice turpentine, one ounce; alcohol, fifteen ounces. 
Digest in a bottle, frequently shaking, and it is ready for use. Di- 
rections: Use, if possible, good plate glass of the size of the picture 
to be transferred, go over it with the above varnish, beginning at one 
side, press down the ])icture firmly and evenly as you proceed, so 
that no air can possibly lodge between; put aside, let dry perfectly, 
then m<jisten the i)aper cautiously with water, and remove it piece- 
meal by rubbing carefully with the fingers; if managed nicely, a com- 
plete transfer f)f the picture to the glass will be effected. 

Prunes — to prepare. — Wash them well, put them in a stone Jar, 
cover well with water, and sprinkle generously with sugar; then bake 
them in the C)ven. Cover the jar with a jiie-plate to keep the prunes 
from scorching. Should the juice boil down too much, add a little 
more water. 

Pudding (Bird's Nest) — to make. — Take six or seven cooking 
apples, pare them, and remove the ctjres without breaking the apples. 
l*lace them in a pie-dish; next wash thoroughly four heaped tea- 
spoonfuls of sage;; mix with sufficient cf>ld water to fill the dish con- 
taining the apples, and Ijake in a moderate oven. Cherries, prunes, 
etc., may be used instead of apples, or tapioca instead of sago, and, 
if well made, the pudding is palatable, wholesome, and inexpensive. 
To be served with sugar and milk, or cream, if practicable. 

Pudding (Cocoanut). — Two quarts rich, tart apples, chopped as 
for mince-pie; one cup sago, swelled with two cups boiling water; 
one cup sugar, and one and a half cups desiccated cocoanut; mix 
intimately and bake one hour in an earthen pudding dish. Serve 
cold. This is a pudding worthy to grace any occasion when a pud- 
ding can be served, and containing no butter or fat, and is not diflicult 
of digestion. 

Pudding (Cocoanut). — Soak three tablespoonfuls tapioca in cold 
water over night; Ijoil one quart of milk; add taj)ioca and boil five 
minutes; then add yolks (jf four eggs, three tablespoonfuls desiccated 
cocoanut; boil ten minutes, turn into a dish to cool, beat the whites 
and two tablespoonfuls of sugar to a ff)am; spread on the top and 
scatter ov('r with ctjcoanut; set in the oven to brown a little. 

Pudding (Christiana). — Put a layer of sliced bread or biscuit, first 
dipjied well in boiling sweet milk, in a baking-dish, then a layer of 
prune sauce made as for eating, only seeding the prunes, then l)read, 
and so un till the dish is full, bread on top, having sprinkled each 
layer with a little sugar; pour over this the prune juice and tlje re- 



370 V HAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

maindcr of the scalded milk. To make it richer, bits of butter may 
be added to each layer; bake in mcKlerate oven for three-quarters of 
an hour to an hour. When cold, turn out in a dish and spread whip, 
ped cream on top, or it may be served hot with a sauce or spoonful 
of whipi)ed cream to each dish. This is a splendid pudding, whole, 
some and iiu-xpcnsive. 

Pudding (Cottage). — One cup of sugar, one cup of sweet milk, one 
pint of Hour, two tablespoonfuls of melted butter, one teaspoonful of 
soda, two tcaspoonfuls of cream tartar, one egg. 

Pudding (Corn). — Grate fifteen cars of sweet corn, scraping off 
carefully all ihc milk that may remain on the cob, but do not take the 
hull with It. Add to this one cup and a quarter of white Indian meal, 
four well-beaten eggs, three spoonfuls (jf sweet butter, and enough 
rich milk to make a thin batter; add pepper and salt, and stir in the 
eggs the last thing, and bake. Stir it several times before it is half 
done; after tliat leave it unmolested till done. 

Pudding (Dandy). — One and one-half pint of milk, four eggs, sugar 
to taste. Hoil the milk and yolks and one teaspoonful of corn starch. 
Beat the whites to a stiff froth, after the cream is cooked, put it in a 
dish to cool. Then drop the whites, after sweetening, on the cream. 
Brown ihe top a few minutes. 

Pudding (English Plum). — One-half pound currants, one pound 
raisins, one-half pound of beef suet, butter the size of an egg, three 
eggs, one nutmeg, two tcaspoonfuls of lemon, three-fourths of a pint 
of milk, a little salt, flour sufficient to stiffen, mix well together; put 
into a bowl and bake four hours; cover bowl with a cloth. 

Sauce. — Three tablespoonfuls corn starch, one-half i)int milk, one- 
half cup of sugar, one tablespoonful of butter; boil live minutes. 

Pudding (Indian) — very fine. — Boil two quarts of milk, and while 
boiling stir in corn meal enough to make it of the consistency of 
mush; take one cup of suet, one cup of molasses, one tablespoonful 
each of cinnamon and ginger and stir into the pudding, scald all to- 
gether well, and then set away to get quite cool; add three well- 
beaten eggs, butter, size of egg, one cup each of currants and raisins, 
salt and sugar enough to serve without sauce if you wish; then bake 
three hours slowly. Brandy sauce makes it ecjual to English plum 
pudding. 

Pudding (Indian). — One quart of boiling milk, one cup of 
meal; two tablespoonfuls of flour, one tablespoonful of butter, 
one G^^, one-half cupful of molasses, and a little salt. Bake one 
hour. I mix the meal, Hour, butter, Q^^y and molasses together, and 
then turn the boiling milk on them. 

Pudding (Ginger). — Five eggs, two cupfuls of sugar, two cupfuls 
of butler, four cupfuls of flour, one cupful of molasses, one cupful of 
sour milk, one teaspoonful of soda, ginger and allspice to taste. 
Bake in a pan, or steam in a mold or pan. 

Siiucc for Ginger J^uddiug. — One-half i)int of molasses, one i)int of 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W 371 

sugar, one-half pint of butter, ginger to suit the taste, and a little 
water. Boil all together until the sauce becomes somewhat thick. 

Pudding (Marlboro). — Six large apples stewed and strained, a 
cupful of white sugar, a half cupful of butter, the juice of two lemons, 
and the grated rind, also a little rose water, and three tablespoonfuls 
of hot water, one milk biscuit or Boston cracker, rolled fine, six eggs, 
beaten and stirred in. Line deep plates with a rich crust, have a 
pretty thick edging, pour in the mixture, and bake. 

Pudding (King George). — One pint of bread crumbs, half pint of 
flour, teaspoonful of baking powder, sifted in flour, a little salt, half 
a pound of raisins, quarter of a pound of currants, quarter of a pound 
of suet, coffeecupful of milk, one egg; tie tightly in a bag and boil 
three hours. To be eaten with hard sauce. 

Pudding (Orange). — Peel and slice six oranges, sprinkle over them 
half a cupful of sugar, boil one pint of milk, add one whole &^^ and 
the yolks of two, half a cupful of sugar, and two tablespoonfuls of 
corn-starch, boil until it thickens, then pour it over the oranges. Beat 
the whites of two eggs to a stiff froth, add a very little sugar, spread 
this over the top, and place in the oven for a few minutes to brown 
slightly. Half the above quantity is enough for three or four per- 
sons. 

Pudding (Queen). — One pint of nice fine bread-crumbs, one quart 
of milk, one cup of sugar, the yolks of four eggs, beaten, the grated 
rind of a lemon, a piece of butter the size of an ^^^\ bake until done, 
but not watery; whip the whites of the eggs stifi^; beat in a teacupful 
of sugar, in which has been strained the juice of the lemon; spread 
over the pudding a layer of jelly; pour the whites of the eggs over 
this; replace in the oven; bake lightly; to-be eaten cold, with cream; 
if preferred. This is decidedly the best of all puddings. 

Pudding (New Rice). — i. Mix four large teaspoonfulsof rice flour 
with half a pint of cold milk, and stir it into a quart of boiling milk 
until it boils again; then remove, stir in butter the size of an &^^ and 
add a little salt; let it cool, and add four eggs, well beaten, two-thirds 
of a cupful of sugar, grated nutmeg, half wineglassful of brandy or 
other flavoring; bake in a buttered dish twenty minutes. To be 
eaten hot with sauce. 

2. One quart of milk, half a cupful of white sugar, one teaspoonful 
of rose or vanilla extract, one teaspoonful of butter, half of a cupful 
of rice; merely wash the rice, and after adding it to the sweetened 
pudding, put in the oven, occasionally stirring for the first ten min- 
utes. It will be of the consistency of ice cream, and very delicate. 
Bake until browned on top. 

Pudding (Tapioca). — Soak four tablespoonfuls of tapioca in a little 
water over night; boil one quart of milk and pour over it while hot; 
when cool add half of a cupful of sugar, one ^^g, and the yolk of one 
^%g, well beaten; bake slowly one hour, spread with the whites of 
two eggs, beaten, return to the oven, brown slightly, flavor with 
orange. 



372 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

Puffs (Albany). — Beat the yolks of six eggs until they are very 
light; stir in a pint of sweet milk, a large pinch of salt, the whites of 
the eggs beaten to a froth, and flour enough to make a batter about as 
thick as boiled custard. Bake in gem-pans in a quick oven. 

Pulleys (Paper Friction). — These superior mechanical contri- 
vances are made by cutting pieces of pasteboard into a circular form, 
and of the desired diameter of the pulley, and placing them in layers 
one on the top of another, cementing properly with a good coat of 
glue between each layer, pounding or pressing them together as close 
as possible, and leaving a preforation in the center of each for the 
shaft. When you have got enough of these layers together to 
give you the proper breadth of the pulley, allow the glue to harden, 
then turn it off to a smooth finish in a lathe. Secure each side 
of the pulley with a good stout iron flange, large enough to cover 
the entire diameter, or nearly so, and with proper usage it will last a 
long time. 

Pulleys — hardening wood for. — After a wooden pulley is turned 
and rubbed smooth, boil it for about eight minutes in olive oil; then 
allow it to dry, and it will become almost as hard as copper. 

Pulmonary Complaints. — When an effusion of blood from the 
lungs takes place, a prompt an infallible resource might readily be 
provided, so as to meet the occasion with a safe and decided effect. 
From twenty to thirty-five drops of the spirits of turpentine in a glass 
of water will produce an instantaneous collapse of the mouth of the 
blood vessel. It is also asserted that, in the above case, a tumbler- 
ful of strong gin toddy, or gin and water, will have the same effect. 

Punch. — Water, three gallons; tartaric acid, four ounces, or to 
taste; lump sugar to sweeten; brandy, three pints; rum, three pints. 
The peels of three lemons grated; essence of lemon to flavor; rub 
the essence with a little lump sugar in a mortar, adding a little of the 
spirit. 

Putty — to make. — Ten pounds of whiting, one pound of white 
lead, boiled linsced-oil, a wineglass of sweet-oil. Work up these in- 
gredients with sufficient boiled linseed-oil to form a paste of the 
requisite consistency; the sweet oil prevents the white lead from 
hardening. All putty should be made some time before it is used, 
and sashes to be puttied should have one coat of paint, which will 
cause the putty to adhere more firmly. Old putty may be softened 
by applying rags dipped in a solution of caustic potash for some 
hours, or by rubbing a hot iron along the putty. 

Putty (French). — Seven pounds linseed-oil and four pounds brown 
umber are boiled for two hours, and sixty-two grammes wax stirred 
in. After removing from the fire, five and one-half pounds fine chalk 
and eleven pounds white lead are added and thoroughly incorporated; 
said to be very hard and permanent. 

Putty (Old) — to remove. — Dip a small brush in nitric or muriatic 
acid and with it anoint or paint over the dry putty that adheres to the 



IVHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 373 

broken glass and frames of your windows, and after an hour's inter- 
val, the putty will have become so soft as to be easily removable. 

Putty — for repairing broken walls. — The best putty for walls is 
composed of equal parts of whiting and plaster of Paris, as it quickly 
hardens. The walls may be immediately colored upon it. Some 
painters use whiting with size; but this is not good, as it rises above 
the surface of the walls, and shows the patches when the work is 
finished. Lime must not be used as putty to repair walls, as it will 
destroy almost every color it comes in contact with. 

Quassia — its uses. — Quassia is a simple tonic, and can be used 
with safety by any one, as it does not increase the animal heat or 
quicken the circulation. Used internally in the form of infusion, it 
has been found of great benefit in indigestion and nervous irritability, 
and is useful after bilious fevers and diarrhoea. 

Dose. — Of the infusion, from one and a half to two ounces, three 
times a day. 

Quince Jelly. — Most housekeepers use the entire fruit, and also the 
skins and cores from other preparations. It is better to leave out the 
cores, as the mucilage around the seeds may injure the jellying; but 
use the parings, as the richest portions are next to the skin. Use any 
fragments also. It is economical to use double the quantity of apples 
which are rich in jelly; cook the apples and then the quinces in the 
same water and strain out the juice of both fruits. As before hinted, 
it is important to do all cooking before adding the sugar, and after- 
ward continue the simmering until the jelly point is reached. The 
sugar may be added to the strained syrup, bulk for bulk, without 
weighing. It saves much labor to skim only once before adding the 
sugar, and not again until the jelly is made and taken from the fire. 
Let it cool a little before putting into cups or jelly glasses. Preserve 
from molding by covering well. 

Quince Marmalade. — Cook the fruit soft; crush to a pulp, and add 
sugar as for preserves; then slowly cook to a thick paste, constantly 
stirring to prevent sticking or burning. One-third sweet apples 
added, without more sugar, improves the quality for most people. 

Quince Preserves. — Pare, core and weigh; first stew soft in water 
and then add as many pounds of sugar as there were of the uncooked 
fruit, and simply scald through. Quinces, currents, grapes, and other 
fruits to be jellied should not have sugar added until the chief cook-' 
ing is done. Lack of knowing this, causes many failures to get good 
jellies and preserves, by inexperienced housekeepers. To prevent 
mold, cover the top of the jars of preserves or jellies with writing 
paper dipped in alcohol. Keep in a cool, dry place. This is a beau- 
tiful preserve. 

Quince Sauce (Bottled). — Cook the prepared quinces as above; 
pour off the water and cover the fruit with a syrup of a pound of sugar 
to a pint of water. Boil up quickly, then take the fruit out carefully, 
and put it into preserving jars or cans. Pour the syrup over it and 
close the jars tightly. This gives a clear light-colored fruit which will 



374 ^^A T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

last for years. The cooking water may be used for stewing more 
fruit, to which may be added one or two times its bulk of apples, 
making a nice quince-flavored sauce, or a " quince apple butter," by 
mashing, and stirring while boiling it down to the desired consis- 
tency, and sweetening to the taste. This may be used as wanted, for 
a short season, or it may be preserved in the closed fruit bottles. 

Quinces — secret of raising. — Purchase the orange variety, and 
set the trees from six to eight feet apart in rich soil. Bandage the 
stem with two or three wrappings of old cloth as far down in the 
ground as possible, as the roots starts from near the surface. Let 
the bandages run six or eight inches above the ground, then pack 
the soil a couple of inches around the bandages. This should be re- 
newed every spring. 

Quinsy — or ulcerated sore throat. — Those who ' suffer from these 
distressing maladies will find relief from an onion poultice made as 
follows: Bake, or roast, till quite soft, three or four large onions, 
peel them quickly, and beat them quite flat with a rolling-pin; put 
them into a muslin bag that will reach from ear to ear and about 
three inches deep. Apply this bag to the throat as hot as possible. 
Keep it on night and day, using fresh ones as the strength of the 
onions becomes exhausted. The throat must be protected from cold 
when the poultices are removed. 

Quinsy — relief for. — A teacupful of red sage leaves to one quart 
of water, boil ten minutes, add four tablespoonfuls of vinegar, and 
sweeten with honey. In the first stage of the disease, it might be 
used as a gargle, and then to rinse the mouth; it should be used 
warm. It will be found invaluable. 

Quinsy Remedy. — Our cure is tar spread on the throat and quite 
up under the ears. Cover with a cloth and go to sleep and wake up 
well. Only a brown stain will remain; it is easily washed off with 
Castile soap. It is a sure relief. It is our opinion that in cases of 
incipient scarlet fever or diphtheria this is the remedy. It looks 
reasonable if it brings sure relief in quinsy, which it does. 

Rabbits — how to select. — Rabbits, when old, have the haunches 
thick, the ears dry and tough, and the claws blunt and ragged. A 
young hare has claws smooth and sharp, ears that easily tear, and a 
narrow cleft in the lip. A leveret is distinguished from a hare by a 
knob or small bone near the foot. 

Rabbit-skins — to prepare. — Lay the skin on a smooth board, the 
fur side undermost, and tack it in every direction with tinned tacks. 
Dissolve two ounces of alum in a pint of warm water, and with a 
sponge dipped in this solution moisten the surface all over; repeat 
this every now and then for three days; when the skin is quite dry, 
take out the tacks, and rolling it up loosely the long way, the hair 
inside, draw it quickly backward and forward through a large 
smooth ring, or anything of a similar kind, until it is quite soft; then 
roll it the contrary way of the skin, and repeat ihe operation. Skins 
prepared thus are useful for many domestic purposes. 



WHA T E VER V ONE SI/0 ULD KNO W. 375 

Radway's Ready Relief. — According to Peckolt, is an ethereal 
tincture of capsicum, with alcohol and camphor. 

Radishes — to force. — Radishes may be grown in a few days by 
the following method: Let some good radish seed soak in water for 
twenty-four hours, and then put them in a bag and expose to the 
sun. In the course of the day germination will commence. The 
seed must then be sown in a well-manured hot-bed, and watered 
from time to time in lukewarm water. By this treatment the rad- 
ishes will, in a very short time, acquire quite a large bulk, and be 
very good to eat. 

Raisins — to stone easily. — To stone raisins easily, pour boiling 
water over them and drain it off. This loosens them, and they come 
out with ease. 

Rashes — hov«r to distinguish. — Measles appear as a number of 
dull red spots, in many places running into each other, and is usual- 
ly first seen about the face and on the forehead, near the roots of the 
hair, and is often preceded by running of the eyes and nose, and all 
the signs of a severe cold. Scarlet fever appears first about the 
neck and chest, but not unfrequently at the bend of the elbow or 
under the knee, and is usually preceded by sore throat. It can be 
distinguished from roseola, a mild disease which is sometimes mis- 
taken for it, by the bright-red color of the skin, which appears not 
unlike a boiled lobster. In chicken-pox, the symptom is attended 
by fever, the spots are small, separate pimples, and come out gen- 
erally over the whole body." 

Rats — to drive away.^-Rats have so strong an aversion to the 
odor of peppermint, they will not enter rooms or bins where it pre- 
vails. The peppermint plant we place in the oats, rye and corn, 
when they are brought in, and some goes under the pig-stye. 
Though we no longer have any rats we continue to use the plant, 
for fear they may make us a visit. If this is so, in the absence of 
the plant, probably a few drops of the oil of peppermint would an- 
swer the same purpose. 

Rat Exterminator. — Baron von Baekhofen, has discovered a 
cheap and simple method of exterminating rats. It consists of a 
mixture of two parts of well-bruised common squills and three parts 
finely chopped bacon made into a stiff mass, with as much meal as 
may be required, and then baked into small cakes; these are put 
down for the rats to eat, and are said to effect their complete extir- 
pation. 

Rats — to rid a house. — Wet a few pounds of unslaked lime vvith 
a strong lye made from potash; let it be quite soft; spread it around 
the holes so that the rats cannot avoid treading in it; let it remain a 
week or so, and if it gets dry, scrape it off and moisten again. The 
mixture burns their feet, and they will not be likely to make a second 
visit: Do not let it come in contact with oil-cloth or paint. 

Rat Killing — without traps or poison. — Take common sponge, 
dried, cut into small pieces, soak in lard, melted tallow or meat gravy. 



376 WHA T EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

Place these pieces within easy access to the rats. They will eat 
greedily, and the moisture of the stomach will cause the pieces to 
swell and kill the rat. Water may be placed in reach, and will hasten 
results by expanding the sponge. 

Razor Paper. — This article supersedes the use of the ordinary 
strop. By merely wiping the razor on the paper, to remove the latter 
after shaving, a keen edge is always maintained without further 
trouble. Only one caution is necessary — that is, to begin with a 
sharp razor, and then " the paper " will keep it in that state for years. 
It may be prepared thus: First, procure oxide of iron (by the addi- 
tion of carbonate of soda to the solution of persulphate of iron), well 
wash the precipitate, and finally leave it of the consistency of cream. 
Secondly, procure a good paper, soft and thin, then with a soft brush 
spread over the paper (on one side only) very thinly the moist oxide 
of iron — dry, and cut into two-inch square pieces. It is then fit for 
use. 

Razor-strop Paste. — Wet the strop with a little sweet oil, and ap- 
ply a little flour of emery evenly over the surface. 

Razor-strop — to renovate. — i. Rub a little clean tallow over the 
surface, and then put on it the light top part of the snuff of a candle; 
rub it smooth; excellent. 

2. Rub the strop well with a piece of soft pewter or lead. 

Razor — to sharpen. — It has long been known that the simplest 
method of sharpening a razor is to put it for half an hour in water, to 
which one-twentieth of its weight of muriatic or sulphuric acid has 
been added, then lightly wipe it off, and after a few hours set it on a 
hone. The acid here supplies the place of a whetstone by corroding 
the whole surface uniformly, so that nothing further than a smooth 
polish is necessary. The process never injures good blades, while 
badly hardened ones are frequently improved by it, although the 
cause of this improvement remains unexplained. 

Respirator — to make. — An excellent respirator may be made of a 
thick sheet of carded cotton wool placed between two pieces of mus- 
lin. Unequaled for arresting dust, steel particles, etc. 

Resting Long at Noon. — Farmers, mechanics, and those who 
labor out of doors in warm weather should take long rests at noon. 
Travelers tell us that people of no other country do so much work in 
the sun as those of America. Among the Spaniards the practice of 
sleeping at noon is almost as common as that of sleeping at night. 
In Northern Europe a shorter time is given to rest at noon, because 
the temperature is lower, and the rays of the sunlight fall so as to 
produce a less injurious effect upon laborers. Still, the time for rest 
is longer in this part of Europe than in the United States. With us 
there is no stopping work for the sake of taking rest at noon. Labor 
is suspended only to allow men and animals to take food and water. 
As soon as eating and drinking are finished, work in the open sun is 
resumed. Without doubt we should be gainers, both in the matter of 
'health and wealth, if we gave a considerable time during the middle 



WHA T E VER V ONE SIIO ULD KNO W. 377 

of the day to rest. More sickness occurs among farmers immediately- 
after haying and harvest than at any other season of the year, and 
the cause of it may be attributed, in a great majority of cases, to ex- 
posure to the heat of the sun when it is almost directly over the heads 
of workmen engaged in the fields. The number of cases of sunstroke 
increases every year. Many who are not prostrated by the heat are 
greatly injured by it. What is true of men in this respect is alco true 
of animals. A good long rest at noon would prevent exposure to the 
sun at the time when injurious effects are most likely to follow. It 
would also put both men and animals in a condition to do more work 
during the cooler portions of the afternoon. 

Retching — to stop. — Take half a wineglassful of pure lemon juice, 
mix with it just sufficient salt of tartar to destroy the acidity. Give a 
tcaspoonful of this frequently till the retching ceases. 

Reviver (Black) — for cloth. — Bruised galls, one pound; logwood, 
two pounds; green vitriol, one-half pound; water, five quarts; boil 
two hours; strain, and it is ready for use. 

Rheumatic Fluid (German). — Oils of hemlock and cedar, of each, 
half an ounce; oils of origanum and sassafras, each, one ounce; aqua 
ammonia, one ounce; capsicum pulverized, one ounce; spirits of tur- 
pentine and gum camphor, each, half an ounce; put all into a quart 
bottle, and fill with ninety-five per cent, alcohol. Dose, for colic, for 
man, half a teaspoonful; for a horse, one-half to one ounce, in a little 
warm water every fifteen minutes, till relieved. 

Rheumatism (Inflammatory). — Sulphur and saltpeter, of each, one 
ounce; gum guaiac, one-fourth ounce; colchicum root, or seed, and 
nutmegs, of each, one-fourth ounce; all to be pulverized and mixed 
with simple syrup, or molasses, two ounces. Dose: One teaspoonful 
every two hours until it moves the bowels rather freely; then three or 
four times daily until cured. 

Rheumatism in Horses — to cure, — Crude coal-oil, one pint; strong 
vinegar, one-half pint; turpentine, one-half pint; mixed, and well 
shaken. To be rubbed on mornings and nights. 

Rheumatism — remedies for. — i. In acute rheumatism, oil of pep- 
permint in ten drop doses on sugar every four hours will be found 
very beneficial. 

2. Take cucumbers, when full grown, and put them into a pot with 
a little salt; then put the pot over a slow fire, where it should remain 
for about an hour; then take the cucumbers and press them, the juice 
from which must be put into bottles, corked up tight, and placed in 
the cellar, where they should remain for about a week; then wet a 
flannel rag with the liquid, and apply it to the parts affected. 

3. Procure one pint of good alcohol; add one pint of water; make 
it sharp by adding red pepper pods of any kind, broken in small 
pieces. In twenty-four Hours it will be fit for use. Bathe the affect- 
ed parts well and frequently, warming it in by the stove, the action of 
the heat being of great benefit. 

4. When the joints are stiffened with rheumatism or a settled cold, 



373 WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

the following applications are said to be capital, and enable the suf- 
ferer to move with ease: Cut into small bits, or grate it, one ounce of 
castile soap; add a heaping tablespoonful of red cayenne pepper. 
Have these in a small pitcher and then pour on to them half a pint of 
boiling hot water. Stir until all is dissolved, and add a little cider- 
brandy or alcohol when bottling. An application of the above brings 
the blood in a glow to the joints, and on rubbing a little sweet oil to 
relax the muscles, the patient will be enabled to walk with perfect 
ease. 

5. For inflammatory rheumatism, take half an ounce of pulverized 
saltpeter put in half a pint of sweet oil; bathe the parts affected, and 
a sound cure will speedily be effected. 

Rheumatic Treatment. — Dr. Ebrards, of Nimes, states that he 
has for many years treated all his cases of sciatica and neuralgic 
pains with an improvised apparatus consisting merely of a flat-iron 
and vinegar, two things that will be found in every house. The iron 
is heated until sufficiently hot to vaporize the vinegar, and is then 
covered with some woolen fabric, which is moistened with vinegar, 
and the apparatus is applied at once to the painful spot. The appli- 
cation may be repeated two or three times a day. Dr. Ebrard states 
that, as a rule, the pain disappears in twenty-four hours, and recovery 
ensues at once. 

Rhubarb — to can. — Those who are fond of rhubarb are reminded 
that it can be canned for winter use in the same manner as fruits. In 
canning, the rhubarb is stewed as if for the table. Sugar may be 
added or not; it is not necessary for its preservation, but many think 
it is more convenient to add it at once, otherwise the rhubarb has to 
be heated before it is used, in order to properly incorporate the sugar. 
The hot rhubarb is filled into the jars in the same manner as stev/ed 
fruits, and the covers put on at once. Before placing away, try if it 
is possible to screw down the corks still tighter. In gathering rhu- 
barb, select the newer stalks, as the outer and older ones are apt to be 
tough. 

Rhubarb Culture. — If a new bed of rhubarb is needed, having 
spaded into the soil an abundance of manure, take up the old roots 
and divide them in such a manner as to leave a bud attached to each 
piece set out. On large plantations, seedling plants are preferred 
and a supply provided. Cover old beds with a heavy dressing of 
manure. If it is desired to force rhubarb for use in late winter or 
early spring, take up some large roots and place them under the stage 
of the green-house, or in a warm cellar, covering them with earth. 

Rhubarb — sweet tincture. — Take of rhubarb, bruised, two 
ounces; licoricc-root, bruised, two ounces; aniseed, bruised, one 
ounce; sugar, one ounce; diluted alcohol, two pints. Macerate for ^ 
fourteen days, express and filter. I 

Rhubarb — compound tincture of. — Take of rhubarb, sliced, two 
ounce; licorice-root, bruised, one-half ounce; ginger, powdered, saf- 
fron, each two drams; distilled water, one pint; proof spirits of wine, 



IV 1/ A 7' E VER V ONE SHOULD KNO W, 219 

twelve ounces by measure. Digest for fourteen days, and strain. 
Dose, half ounce as an aperient; or one ounce in violent diarrhoea. 

Rhubarb — to force. — Outside of places where there are professional 
gardeners, the forcing of vegetables is very little known in this coun- 
try. People in general are content with "things in their season," 
and do not trouble themselves to force or retard. Perhaps the easiest 
vegetable to force is rhubarb; and by taking a little trouble, material 
for pies and sauce may be had some weeks in advance of the supply 
from the open ground. The things needed are clumps of rhubarb 
roots, soil, and a dark, warm place. The roots should be dug before 
the ground freezes, but in most places there is usually an ' ' open spell " 
when it may be done. As fine rhubarb as we ever saw was forced in 
a barrel or cask; the roots packed in on a layer of soil and surround- 
ed by it, the cask covered tight, and set near the furnace in the cellar, 
A box to hold the roots, and set in a cupboard or closet in the kitchen 
will answer; or a box or barrel may be placed in the kitchen. Keep 
moderately warm, and see that the roots are sufficiently moist. A 
few roots will give an astonishingly abundant supply, much more 
tender and crisp and less violently sour than the out-door crop. 

Rhubarb — to cook. — Rhubarb being about the firstgreen thing ob- 
tainable in the spring, but not being much to the tase of the major- 
ity of people, we give the following: I wonder if every one knows 
how much better rhubarb pies are if, after peeling and cutting up 
ready for the pie, you pour boiling water over it and let it stand five 
or ten minutes, then drain off all the water and make the pies as 
usual ? If the edge of the under crust of rhubarb or berry pies be wet 
a little before the top crust is put on, the juice will not be so apt to 
boil out while the pie is baking. I sometimes make rhubarb pies 
with one crust, like a lemon pie. To a teacupful of stewed rhubarb 
add sugar enough to sweeten to taste, a tablespoonful of flour, a 
tablespoonful of melted butter, the yolks of two eggs, well beaten, 
and a teaspoonful of lemon extract. Bake this in one crust. While 
the pie is baking, beat the whites of two eggs to a stiff froth, add one 
tablespoonful of powdered sugar, and after the pie is done, spread 
this over the pie and return it to the oven long enough to brown 
slightly. To stew rhubarb for sauce, make a rich syrup with sugar 
and a little water. After carefully removing all the skin, cut the 
Stalks into pieces about an inch long, pour boiling water over it the 
same as if for pies; then put it into the hot syrup, let it boil about 
five minutes, or until cooked, but do not stir. In this way the pieces 
Avill be whole, and the sauce will look much nicer than if stirred. It 
is nice for winter use prepared in this way and canned the same as 
fruit. 

Ribbons — to clean. — Take one tablespoonful of brandy, one ( i 
soft-soap, and one of molasses. Mix thoroughly together; place the 
ribbon upon a smooth board, and apply the mixture with a soft brush; 
after which rinse in cold water, then roll up in a cloth until nearly 
dry; iron with a flat-iron, not too hot. 



38o WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

Ribbons (Old) — to renew. — Wash in cool suds made of fine soap, 
and iron when damp. Cover the ribbon with a clean cloth, and pass 
the iron over that. 

Rice — ho^/v to cook. — Rice is becoming a much more popular 
article of food than heretofore. It is frequently substituted for po- 
ta'-oes at the chief meal of the day, being more nutritious and much 
more readily digested. In preparing it only just enough cold water 
should be poured on to prevent the rice from burning at the bottom 
of the pot, which should have a close-fitting cover, and with a mod- 
erate fire the rice is steamed rather than boiled until it is nearly 
done; then the cover is taken off, the surplus steam and moisture 
allowed to escape, and the rice turns out a mass of snow-white 
kernels, each separate from the other, and as much superior to the 
usual soggy mass, as a fine mealy potato is superior to the water- 
soaked article. 

Rickets and Scrofula. — If children have either of these, or both 
these diseases, a good, nutritive diet is a great essential. Then the 
alkaline-bath, a little lime-water, say a teaspoonful three times a day, 
and out-door exercise are the chief remedies. 

Rick-rack — to make. — Get pointed linen braid, and use either 
linen thread or coarse cotton. Button-hole a stitch into eight of the 
points and draw it carefully into a circle, and then go around again, 
putting the needle under ever thread; draw it into a wheel, and re- 
verse the work for the other side. When you get the first two done, 
arrange so that it will form insertion, and then attach two points to- 
gether, and proceed as before. 

Ringbone — cures for. — i. Pulverized cantharides, oils of spike, 
origanum, amber, cedar, Barbadoes tar, and British oil, of each two 
ounces; oil of wormwood, one ounce; spirits of tui-pentine, four 
ounces; common potash, one-half ounce; nitric acid, six ounces; 
sulphuric acid, four ounces; lard, three pounds. Melt the lard, and 
slowly add the acids; stir well, and add the other articles, stirring 
till cold; clip off the hair, and apply by rubbing and heating in. In 
about three days, or when it is done running, wash off with soap-suds, 
and apply again. In old cases it may take three or four weeks; but, 
in recent cases, two or three applications have cured. 

2. Pulverized cantharides, oils of origanum and amber, and spirits 
turpentine, of each one ounce; olive oil, one-half ounce; sulphuric 
acid, three drams; put all, except the acid, into alcohol; stir the 
mixture, add the acid slowly, and continue to stir till the mixture 
ceases to smoke; then bottle for use. Apply to ringbone or spavin 
with a sponge tied on the end of a stick, as long as it is absorbed into 
the parts. 

Ringworm — remedy for. — When the disease does not come from 
direct contagion, children are generally in a poor state of blood, and 
good living, sea air, and tonic medicines are of great benefit. The 
following application will frequently be found of much service: 
Wash the part effected with a little lemon juice; then rub in with the 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHOULD KNO W. 38^ 

finger a little gunpowder which has been bruised in a mortar. Do 
this gently about twice a day. Be very careful not to make the skin 
sore. 

Ring (Gold) — to remove form the finger. — The most simple and 
easy method to remove a gold ring which is too tight for the finger, 
is to rub it in one spot with a little quicksilver. It will soon break 
in this spot with a little pressure. 

Roaches (Red) — To exterminate. — Take flour of sulphur, half a 
pound; potash, four ounces. Melt in an earthen pan over the fire; 
pulverize, and make a strong solution in water, and sprinkle the 
places which they frequent. 

Roofing — excellent and cheap. — Have your roof stiff; rafters 
made of stuff one and one-half by eight inches, well supported and 
six feet apart, with ribs one by two inches, set edgewise, well nailed 
to the rafters, about eighteen inches apart. The boards may be thin 
but must be well seasoned, and nailed close together; this done, lay 
down and cover the roof with thin, soft, spongy straw paper used in 
making paper-boxes, which comes in rolls, and comes very low. Lay 
in courses up and down the roof, and lap over, nailing down with 
common No. 6 tacks, with leather under the heads like carpet tacks. 
Then spread on several coatings of the following composition, pre- 
viously boiled, stirred, and mixed together: Good clean tar, eight 
gallons; Roman cement, two gallons (or in its place very fine clean 
sand may be usedj; resin, five pounds; tallow, three pounds; apply 
hot; and let a hand follow, and sift on sharp grit sand, pressing it 
into the tar composition. If wished fire-proof, go over the above 
with the following preparation: Slake stone lime under cover with 
hot water till it falls into a fine powder; sift, and mix six quarts of 
this with one quart of salt; add two gallons of water; boil and skim. 
To five gallons of this add one pound of alum, and one and one-half 
pounds of copperas, slowly while boiling, one and one-half pounds 
potash and four quarts of clean, sharp sand, and any color desired. 
Apply a thick coat with a brush, and you have a roof which no fire 
can injure from the outside. 

Roofs — fire-proof wash for. — Slake lime in a close box to prevent 
the escape of steam, and when slaked pass it through a sieve. To 
every six quarts of this lime add one quart of rock salt and one gal- 
lon of water. After this boil and skim clean. To every five gallons 
of this add, by slow degrees, three-quarters of a pound of potash and 
four quarts of fine sand. Coloring matter may be added if desired. 
Apply with a paint or whitewash brush. This wash looks as well as 
paint, and is almost as durable as slate. It will stop small leaks in a 
roof, prevent the moss from growing over it, and render it incom- 
bustible from sparks falling on it. When applied to brick work, it 
renders the brick utterly impervious to rain; it endures as long as 
paint, and the expense is a mere trifle. 

Roofing — for outhouses, — Let tar be boiled in an iron pot; get 
charcoal finely powdered, and mix it with the tar by constantly stir- 



382 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO VV. 

ring it till the whole is reduced to the state of mortar; then spread it 
upon a boarded covering with a broad wooden trowel to the thickness 
of one-fourth or fifth of an inch, and it will become hard and dura- 
ble. Neither the heat nor cold of this climate will affect it. It is 
with this composition that the peasants of Sweden cover their houses. 

Room — ho"W to dust. — There are two ways of dusting a room. 
One is to take a feather brush, and, by briskly whisking off the pol- 
ished surfaces of wood or marble, disperse into the breathing air the 
entire quantity of dust particles there accumulated. The other is to 
carefully wipe with a cotten or silken duster or chamois skin the 
needful articles, and then shake out the cloth either into the open air 
or into a fire-place in use, where the draught of air would carry the 
dust up the chimney. It is very hard Avork in a house where there is 
furnace heat or soft coal fires to keep the furniture dusted. An old 
silk handkerchief makes a good duster. 

Ropes (New) — to soften. — To make a new rope as limber and soft 
as an old one, boil it two hours in water, and then thoroughly dry it 
in a warm room. 

Ropes — to test the strength of. — To find what size rope you re- 
quire, when roven as a tackle, to lift a given weight: Divide the 
weight to be raised by the number of parts at the movable block, to 
obtain the strain on a single part; add one-third of this for the in- 
creased strain brought by friction, and reeve the rope of correspond- 
ing strength. One-sixth of forty tons is six and two-third tons, 
which, with one-third added, is nine tons nearly, for which you should 
reeve a six inch or six and a half inch rope. 

Conversely — To find what weight a given rope will lift when rove 
as a tackle: Multiply the weight that the rope is capable of suspend- 
ing by the number of parts at the movable block, and subtract one- 
fourth of this for resistance. 

Thus — 8.9 tons, the strength of the rope, multiplied by six, the 
number of parts at the movable block, minus 13.3, or one-fourth, 
gives 40.1 tons as the weight required. 

Wire rope is more than twice the strength of hemp rope of the same 
circumference. Splicing a rope is supposed to weaken it one-eighth. 

The strongest description of hemp rope is untarred, white, three- 
stranded rope; and the next in the scale of strength is the common 
three-strand, hawser-laid rope, tarred. 

Root Beer (Ottawa). — Take one ounce each of sassafras, allspice, 
yellow-dock, and wintergreen; half an ounce each wild cherry bark 
and coriander: one-fourth ounce hops, and three quarts molasses. 
Pour sufficient boiling water on the ingredients and let them stand 
twenty-four hours; filter the liquor, and add half a pint of yeast, and 
it is ready for use in twenty-four hours. 

Rose Culture — Situation. — A place apart from other flowers 
should be assigned to them, if possible, sheltered from high winds, 
but open and not surrounded by trees, as closeness is very apt to 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO VV. 383 

generate mildew; where they cannot have a place to themselves, any 
part of the garden best fulfilling these conditions will answer. 

Soil. — A most important item in their successful culture. That in 
which they especially delight is a rich unctious loam, that feels greasy 
when pressed between the fingers. Where this is ncU to be had the 
soil must be improved;, if light, by the addition of loam, or even clay, 
well worked in; where heavy, good drainage and the addition of coal 
ashes in small quantities will help it, but in such places draining is 
most important. 

Planting. — Mix some loam and well rotted manure together, open 
a good sized hole, and fill it with fresh soil; plant firmly. Shorten 
any very long shoots, and, if exposed to winds, secure the plant by 
short stakes. 

Manuring. — Roses are strong feeders, and will take almost any 
amount of manure; pig manure is the best, except in hot soils, when 
cow manure is preferable; stable manure is generally available and 
good. Exhibitors generally apply a top-dressing in spring, but it 
does not improve the appearance of the beds; a good top dressing 
may be laid on the beds in autumn, and be dug in in the spring. 

Watering. — When coming into bloom, if the weather be dry, give 
a good drenching twice or three times a week; continue after bloom- 
ing to prevent mildew. If greater size be required, liquid manure 
may be used. Syringe daily for green fly. 

Pruning. — This may be done any time after the beginning of 
March, according to the season. Cut out all wood over two years 
old and all weakly shoots. Weak growing kinds should be pruned 
hard — that is, down to three or four eyes; stronger growing kinds 
may be left longer. Cut to an eye that points outward, so as to keep 
the inside of the plant open. Teas and noisettes require less cutting 
back; the tops should be shortened and the weak shoots cut out, and 
they should not be pruned until May. Use a sharp knife. 

Rose Water — how to make. — Whoever possesses plenty of roses 
can make this perfume at a slight expense. Gather the roses while 
free from dew, and put them into a two-gallon glass jar. Then take 
a two-ounce bottle and put in the mouth of the jar, so that it will fit 
closely, and cut some pieces of perfectly clean sponge (that has been 
boiled to free it from sand and grit) into narrow strips, and soak them 
in the purest olive or Lucca oil. Cottonseed oil will do, if free from 
any odor. The oil must be perfectly sweet and fresh, or it will spoil 
the perfume. Place the sponge inside the phial, and turn it upside 
down in the mouth of the jar, and put it in the hottest sunshine for 
four or five days. The heat will distil the rose leaves, and the aroma 
will rise and saturate the oil in the sponge. Throw away the leaves 
v/hen they are dry, and fill the jar again with fresh rose leaves. Do 
this as long as the roses last, and when the bits of sponge are thor- 
oughly saturated, squeeze out the oil, or you can leave them in the 
phial and keep it closely corked. A drop or two of this oil will per- 
fume several ounces of alcohol. 



384 IVHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

Rose-bush — to layer. — A rose-bush may be layered with little 
trouble, and it will be found an interesting recreation to increase one's 
plants of desirable varieties in this manner; skill will be acquired by 
experience, and in a short time every attempt will result successfully. 
Make a narrow trench three' or four inches deep where a good well- 
grown shoot can be bent into it. After blooming, in June, cut a slit in 
the shoot selected at the point where it will touch the soil, press some 
soil into the cut, bend the cane down to the bottom of the trench and 
fasten it there with some pegs, and cover it well with soil. By fall it 
will be a rooted plant and can be cut away and transplanted. 

Rose Insects — to destroy. — There are a number of insects that 
trouble the rose, and at one time they were so destructive in this 
country in some localities that the culture of the rose was almost 
abandoned. The rose slug is the most common of these, and feeds 
upon the leaves just as the buds begin to develop. They are mostly 
found on the under side of the leaf, and their appearance is known by 
the leaves becoming brown, as if scorched or burned. It is said that 
an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and if this is so it 
would be economy to syringe the plants thoroughly with whale oil 
soap-suds, made by using a pound of soap to eight gallons of water 
before the insects appear. Commence this as soon as the leaves de- 
velop in the spring, and continue to apply it two or three times a 
week till the buds begin to open, after which its use will rarely be 
found necessary. If roses are neglected till the slugs are numerous, 
dust the foliage effectually in the morning while the dew is on, with 
white hellebore. There is another insect known as the rose bug or 
beetle, which is particularly destructive to greenhouse roses. It is 
most troublesome while in the larvae state, when it works upon the 
roots, though the mature bug feeds upon the leaves. . As yet, there 
has been no remedy found for this pest, except to hunt them and 
destroy them by hand. It is fortunate for the amateur florist, how- 
ever, that this insect is confined chiefly to the rose house or green- 
house, and does not materially affect the outdoor growth of roses. 

Rose Leaves. — Rose leaves are astringent and tonic. 

They are used internally in spitting of blood, hemorrhage from the 
stomach, intestines, etc., as a gargle for sore throat, and for the 
night sweats of consumption. 

The infusion is frequently used as a tonic with diluted sulphuric 
acid (oil of vitriol), after low fevers. 

Dose of infusion, from two to four ounces, 

Rose Trees — to clear from blight. — Take sulphur and tobacco 
dust in equal quantities, and strew it over the trees of a morning 
when th6 dew is on them. The insects will disappear in a few days. 
The trees should then be syringed with a decoction of elder leaves. 

Rose Water — (Metropolitan). — Take two pounds of rose leaves, 
place them on a napkin, tied round the edges of a basin, filled with 
hot water, and put in a dish of cold water upon the leaves; keep the 
bottom water hot, and change the water at the top as soon as it be- 



WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW, 385 

i^ms to grow warm. By this kind of distillation you will extract a 
great quantity of the essential oil of roses by a process which can- 
not be expensive, and will prove very beneficial. 

Rot in Sheep — to cure. — Mix four ounces of the best honey, two 
ounces of burnt alum reduced to powder, and one-half a pound of 
Armenian bole, with as much tra'in or fish oil as will convert these 
ingredients into the consistency of a salve. The honey must first 
be stirred in; afterward the alum and train oil are to be added. 

Rouge (Turkish). — Take half a pint of alcohol and one ounce of 
alkanet; macerate ten days and pour off the liquid, which should be 
bottled. This is the simplest and one of the best articles of the 
kind. 

Caution. — ^White lead, and all cosmetic powders containing it 
should never be applied to the skin, as it is the most dangerous article 
that could be used. 

Rouge (Vinegar). — ^Cochineal, three drams; carmine lake, three 
drams; alcohol, six -drams; mix, and then put into one pint of vine- 
gar, perfumed with lavender; let it stand a fortnight, then strain for 
use. 

Royal Pop. — Cream tartar, one pound; .ginger, one and one-haU 
ounces; white sugar, seven pounds; essence of lemon, one dram; 
water, six gallons; yeast, one pint. Tie the corks down. 

Rubber Boots — to mend. — Dissolve small pieces of rubber, not 
vulcanized, in warm spirits of turpentine, to the consistency of thin 
molasses. Rub the patch and the boot thoroughly with sharp sand- 
paper. Sn>earboth with liquid rubber five times, letting them dry 
each time. At the sixth application apply the patch with strong 
pressure to the boot, and it is mended. Liquid rubber is obtainable 
at city drug stores. 

Rubber — to deodorize. — Cover the articles of rubber with charcoal 
dust, place them in an enclosed vessel, and raise the temperature to 
ninety-four degrees Fahrenheit, and let it remain thus for several 
hours. Remove and clean the articles from the charcoal dust, and 
they will be found free from all odor. 

Rubber Hose — to repair. — Cut the hose apart where it is defect- 
ive; obtain from any gasfitter a piece of iron pipe two or three inches 
long, twist the hose over it until the end meets, wrap with strong 
twine, well v^^axed. and it will last a long time. 

Rubber — to fasten to wood and metal. — As rubber plates and 
rings are nowadays used almost exclusively for making connec- 
tions between steam and other pipes and apparatus, much annoyance 
is often experienced by the impossibility or imperfection of an air- 
tight connection. This is obviated entirely by employing a cement 
which fastens alike well to the rubber and to the metal or wood. Such 
cement is prepared by a solution of shellac in ammonia, This is best 
made by soaking pulverized gum shellac in ten times its weight of 
strong ammonia, when a slimy mass is obtained, which in three or 
four weeks will become liquid without the use of hot water. This 



386 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

softens the rubber, and becomes, after volatilization of the ammo- 
nia, hard and impermeable to gases and fluids. 

Rubber Hand-stamps — to make. — Set up the desired name and 
address in common type, oil the t3'pe and place a guard about one- 
half an inch high around the form.; -nov/ mix plaster of Paris to the 
proper consistency, pour in and allow it to set. Have your vulcan- 
ized rubber all ready, as made in long strips three inches wide, and 
one-eighth of an inch thick, cut off the size of the intended stamp, 
remove, the plaster cast from the type, and place both the cast and the 
rubber in a screw press, applying sufficient heat to thoroughly soften 
the rubber, then turn down the screw hard, and let it remain until the 
rubber receives the exact impression of the cast and becomes cold, 
when it is removed, neatly trimmed with a sharp knife and cemented 
to the handle ready for use. 

Rubber Rings — to restore elasticity. — The rubber ring used in 
the sealing of preserve jars usually become hard and worthless, and 
cannot be serviceable again. The cost of a rubber ring is very small, 
but may not be present when wanted. The elasticity of rubber rings 
may be restored by placing them in water and ammonia, two-thirds 
latter and one-third former, and allov^ring them to remain half an 
hour. 

Rubbers — to repair. — Rubber, or even leather boots, may be re- 
paired, using the following cement: Take gum shellac, three parts; 
India rubber, one part, by weight. Dissolve these ingredients in 
separate vessels, in ether free from alcohol, applying a gentle heat. 
When thoroughly dissolved, mix the two solutions, and keep in a 
bottle tightly stopped. The glue resists the action of the water, both 
hot and cold, and most of the acids and alkalies. Pieces of wood, 
leather, or other substances, joined together by it, will part at any 
other point than at the joint thus made. If the glue be thinned by 
the admixture of ether, and applied as a varnish to leather, it renders 
the joint of the seam water-tight, and almost impossible to separate. 
By cementing a piece of thin leather or rubber over a crack, a neat 
and durable patch may be made. The soles of leather boots may be 
made more durable and perfectly water-proof by soaking them 
thoroughly before a fire with pine tar. Three or four repeated appli- 
cations are necessary to saturate the leather when it completely ab- 
sorbs the tar, and the soles are dry and hard as horn, but quite flex- 
ible. 

Rugs — to make. — Very pretty, durable bedroom rugs can be made 
from coarse but tightly-woven material, such as is used in coffee 
sacks. They may be lined with the same or other heavy, coarse ma- 
terial. Briar-stitch them around the edges with bright colors of 
coarse woolen yarn, and make a circle in the center of the same, or 
some otlicr simple design of fancy work. We use old guano and 
phosphate sacks. They are made of the strongest and best material, 
very thickly woven. To remove the offensive odor, hang the sacks 
out in one or two hard rains. Soak them afterward in hot suds, and 



WHA T E FER V OJVE SHO ULD KNO JV. 387 

hang them up and expose them to the air and sun a day or two. Then 
Avash them thoroughly and they are ready for use. These rugs are 
quickly made, easily washed, neat in appearance, and save much wear 
of carpets. 

Rules for the Young. — Shut every door after you and without 
slamming it. 

Never shout, run or jump in the house. 

Never call to persons up stairs or in the next room;" if you wish to 
speak to them, go quietly where they are. 

Always speak kindly and politely to servants, if you would have 
them do the same to you. 

When you are told to do or not to do a thing by either parent, 
never ask why 3^ou should or should not do it. 

Tell of your own faults and misdoings; not of those of your broth- 
ers and sisters. 

Carefully clean the mud or snow off your boots before entering the 
house. 

Be prompt at every meal hour. 

Never sit down at the table or in the parlor with dirty hands or 
tumbled hair. 

Never interrupt any conversation, but wait patiently your turn to 
speak. 

Never reserve your good manners for company, but be equally 
polite at home and abroad. 

Let your first, last and best friend be your mother. 

Rum Shrub. — Tartaric acid, five pounds; pale sugar, one hundred 
pounds; oil lemon, four drams; oil orange, five drams. Put them 
into a large cask (eighty gallons) and add ten gallons water. Rum- 
mage till the acid and sugar are dissolved, then add rum (proof) twenty 
gallons; water to make up fifty-five gallons in all; coloring, one quart 
or more. Fine with twelve eggs. The addition of twelve sliced 
oranges will improve the flavor. 

Rupture — treatment of. — An irregular swelling of any kind in the 
lower part of the abdomen may possibly be a rupture. If so, there 
will be pain, constipation, and often vomiting. Give no purgative 
medicine, but send at once for a physician, for the sooner the rup- 
ture is reduced the better for the patient. 

Rusk — to make. — Rusk was the old farm name for what is a pal- 
atable preparation of stale and dry bread. Save all pieces of dry 
bread, loaves too dry to be longer palatable, crusts, etc. Put all to- 
gether, first carefully sorting any moldy bits, and any burned crusts. 
Bake or dry thoroughly in an oven until well browned — not dark 
brown or coal blackened; a dark buff-brown is best. This will keep 
a good while. When wanted for use, crush finely with a rolling-pin 
or otherwise. To be eaten in milk, of which it will absorb a large 
quantity. It is not only a nourishing dish, but makes a good dispo- 
sition of much dry and stale bread that would otherwise be wasted. 
Rusty Plow — to clean. — Take a quart of water and pour slowly 



3.SS U'ltAT KVKKY CVli SITOUI.P K'XOW. 

into It half a pint of sulpluiric a( id. The mixture will become quite 
vvarni fri)ni chemical action, aiul this is the reason why the acid should 
l)e poui'ed slouly into thi- watei, ratlu r than the water into the acid, 
and let it icinain on the iron till it cvaporati;s. Then wash it ai^ain. 
The i>l)jecl is to give the acid time to dissolve the nist. Then wash 
with water, and y«>u will sc-i* when- the worst spots are. Ap[)ly some 
mori' acitl, ai\d rub t)n those spots with a hrick. The acid and the 
sct>nrin>^' will remove most of the rust. Then wash the moUlhoard 
thoroughly with water to remove all the acid, and rub it dry. Brush 
it over with petroleum, or other oil, and let it be till uei-deil for use. 
When you go to plowing, take .a bottle of the acid-water to the field 
with you, and apply it every Ixnit to any spot of rust that may re- 
main. The acid and the scouring of the earth will soon make it per- 
'^ectly bright and smooth. If all \xKn\ work be washed over with pe- 
troleum as soon as we |)ut our tools, implements, and machines aside 
for the winli'r, it will keep tlu-ni from rusting. 

Rust Preventive. — To ])reserve bright grates or fire-irons from 
rust, make a strong paste of fresh limi' and water, and with a fine 
brush smear it as thickly as {lossible all t)ver the polished surface rc- 
tpiiring preservation. Hy this simple ixieans all the grates and fire- 
irixis in an empty hcuise may be kept for months free from harm 
without further can' or attention. 

Rust— to preserve cast-iron from. — The Mt-i/uinir says cast-iron 
may be best ]>reserved from rust " by heating it till, if tt>uchetl with 
flax, it causes it to frizzle," and then plunging into a vat of mixed oil 
and grease. It is said that "The t)leagiiu)us matter actually pene- 
trates the pores and prevents oxidation for a very long time, while it 
does not prevent j^ainting, if desirable, afterwanl." 

Rust to remove from polished iron. — The best nuthod of re- 
moving iijst from a polished grate, is tt» scrape ilown to a fine i)ow- 
tler some baJh-briek, ()ut it into a little «.>il, atul rul) the spots well 
with a piece of llannel ilip[H-d in the mixture; after which apply some 
whiting, also well ruljbed in. This process must be rejieated daily 
iMtlil all trace of the rusi has disappi-ared. Tt» prevent the grate or 
firi'-ituns from becoming siH)tteil with rust, it is a gocul plan to rub 
them over with the fat from the inside of a fowl, atul finish them olT 
with whiting. 

Rust -several ways to remove. — i. Iron or steel immersed in a 
solution of carbonate of potash or soda for a few minutes will not 
rust forycars, not even when exposed to adami> atmosphere. 

2. If you immerse the articles in kerosene oil and let them remain 
for some time, the rust will become so much loosened iis to come olT 
very easy. 

3. Cover the steid with swi-et oil well rubbetl t>n. Ii\ forty-tight 
hours rub with linely [)uwilereil unslaked linu>, until the rust liisap- 
pears. 

4. Fi>r cleaning purposes, etc., kerosene oil or benzine are prob- 
ably the best things known. When articles have become pitted by 



IVJ/A T EVERY ONE SHOULD k'NOlV. 389 

rust, however, these ran. of course, only he removed l)y inerhauical 
means, surh as scouring with line powder, or flour of emery and oil, 
or with very fitu' euieiy paper. 'I o picvenl steel from rusting;, ru!) 
it with a mixture of linu.- and oil, or with mcreurial ointment, either 
of which will l)e found valuahle. 

5. Melt with a pound of fresh lard three ounces of resin, and (over 
iron and steel utensils with this nnxlure, and they cannot oxidize. 

6, Kerosene applied hy means of a moistened cloth to stoves will 
effectually keep them from rustinjjj durinjj^ tlu; summer. It is also an 
excellent material to ai)ply to all iron utensils used ahout the farm. 
(iivc plows, cultivators and the like a coating before they are put 
away in the fall. 

Rye Drops. — Rye drops fried are nice for I)r(\'ikfast. One < up of 
sour milk or l)uttermdk, three tahlespoonfuls of su^ar; if huttcrrmilk 
is not used, i)ut one tablespoonftd of melted l)titt<-r in with the sour 
milk, one well beaten e^.^j^'', one tablespoonful of soda not a hea|)inj4 
spoonful, either — an<l one of cinnamon. Mak(r a stiff batter by the 
addition of rye /lour. This is to be dropped by larj.(e spoonfuls into 
liurning lard. If the spoon is hrst dipped in the hot fat, the batter 
will not "strinj.^ " from the spoon, but will drop all at once, and 
make the cakes the wished for shape. They should be served while 
warm. 

Salads — hints on. — Salad is a name ^iven to raw herbs for food. 
They are amonj.^ the more delicate, and, so to speak, refined sorts of 
vegetablc:s that are brought u[)on the table. They ar(; pleasing to the 
eye, as well as palatable to tlu* taste and congenial to tlu; stomach, if 
eaten in moderation. I'"or side dishes they are invaluable, arranged 
with taste and suita!)ly garnishe<l. TIk; most prominent salads arc 
lettuce, celery, dandelion, mustard, endive and cress. Their com- 
ponent i)arts are fiber, water, opium, soda, etc. With civilized 
nations they have always been a favorite. The old Romans used to 
eat them cut up and served with vinegar, oil and honey. Hut amcjng 
modern nations the French and (Jermans take the lead in the prepar- 
ations of this most inexpensive and appetizing dish. Salads arc 
almost numberless in the variety and diversity of their preparations. 
Lettuce, when dressed alone, must be young and tender, and just 
from the garden. Pick it over leaf by leaf, to see that no slugs arc 
fattening upon it, and that it is free from sand and grit ; but do not 
wash it, if possible. Place it in a salad-bowl or dish in the natural 
shape as nearly as possible ; garnish it with a hard boiled egg, cut in 
rings, and serve with a carved wooden knife and fork, which comes 
for the pur[)cjse. It may be eaten with vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, and 
a little; sugar, and dressed by each person taking it, (jr the drtrssing 
may \)v. jjrepared before sending to the tabl<; in this way. 

Salad how to dress. — Take one-half .1 lemon and rub the inside 
of the salad-bowl. Rub the yolks of two hard-boiled eggs, mashing 
them with a wooden spoon smo<Hh ; mix with them a tablespoon of 
water and two tablesi)oons of sweet oil. Add by slow degrees a 



390 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

saltspoon of salt, a teaspoonful of mustard and a teaspoonful of 
powdered sugar. When these are all blended evenly pour in three 
tablespoonfuls of vinegar. Have your lettuce quite fresh and crisp, 
and picked over nicely ; place in the salad-bowl ; do not stir it 
around, as that would cause it to wilt. Decorate the top of it with 
boiled red beet, cut in different forms, and the hard-boiled whites of 
your eggs. 

Salad (Chicken). — The fowls for this purpose must be youn^ and 
tender. Boil them; remove all the fat and skin, and disjoint them 
cut the meat from the bones in about half-inch squares. Take two 
heads of well bleached celery, wash it, and cut it up in inch pieces ; 
mix the chicken and celery together in the salad-bowl, and cover it 
with a Mayonnaise sauce, which is made as follows : Two eggs, 
wine glassful of best olive oil, tablespoonful of best cider vinegar, 
half teaspoon of pepper, half teaspoonful of salt, half teaspoonful of 
mustard. Take the yolks of the eggs only ; stir them slowly with a 
silver fork, adding the oil, drop by drop; then add the mustard ; next 
the vinegar and pepper, and stir well. Last of all, add the salt, when 
the sauce will thicken. 

Salad (Chicken). — Cut fine four or five heads of fine white bunch 
celery, place in a glass or white china dish. Mince all the white 
meat of a boiled or stewed foul, without the skin, and put with the 
celery. Rub the yolks of two hard-boiled eggs to a smooth paste, 
with a dessertspoonful of melted butter; add to it two teaspoonfuls of 
made mustard, and a small teaspoon of white sugar, and put to it, 
gradually stirring it in, a large cup of strong vinegar., Do not pour 
the dressing over the chicken until ready to serve, or it will dis- 
color the celery. White heart lettuce may be used, instead of celery. 

Salad (Cabbage). — One pint of good vinegar, four well-beaten 
eggs, half a cup of butter; put them on the fire, and stir constantly 
until the mixture begins to thicken; then add a tablespoonful of made 
mustard, two of salt, and one of black pepper; chop one head of cab- 
bage very fine, with one bunch of celery, and soak in salt and water 
for two hours; drain and pour the dressing over it, and mix it. It will 
keep all winter in a cool place, if kept well covered. By mixing 
lobster or chicken with it, you will have a nice salad. 

Salad (Carrot). — Wash and scrape tender, rich-colored carrots; 
throw them into fast-boiling water, and boil until soft; cut them into 
very thin slices; put them into a glass bowl, and sprinkle with sifted 
loaf sugar; add the juice of a large lemon, and a w^neglassful of 
olive oil; garnish the dish with very thin slices of lemon, and any 
kind of green salad leaves. 

Salad (Fish). — Take a pound of cold boiled fish, halibut or cod; cut 
it into small pieces; then make a dressing as follows: The yolks of 
four boiled eggs rubbed to a smooth paste with salad oil; add to this 
salt and pepper, mustard, two tablespoonfuls of white sugar, and 
lastly, six tablespoonfuls of vinegar. Beat the mixture until light, and 
just before pouring over the fish stir in lightly the frothed white of a 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SIIO ULD KNO W. 391 

raw egg; serve the fish in a salad-bowl, with lettuce leaves around the 
edges, half the sauce thrown over the top, and half mixed in the fish. 

Salad (German). — Take six medium sixed cold potatoes, and slice 
thin, three good-sized sweet apples, also cut in small slices, four 
silver-skinned onions chopped fine, and a little parsley cut in bits; 
dress these with two tablespoonfuls of oil, salt, pepper, sugar, and a 
little mustard and vinegar to blend the whole; beat it very light, and 
stir through the salad; garnish with hard-boiled eggs cut in rings. 

Salad of Game. — Boil eight eggs hard; throw into cold water; take 
the shells off, and cut them into four pieces, lengthwise; make a very 
thin, fiat border of butter about an inch from the edge of the dish -you 
are going to serve them on; fix the pieces of egg upright, close to 
each other, the yolk outside, lay inside a layer of any fresh salad that 
may be in season, and lay your game, cut in eight pieces, in the mid- 
dle; put a spoonful of eschalots, finely chopped, in a basin, one 
spoonful of sugar, the yolk of one ^g^, a teaspoonful of chopped 
parsley, a quarter of a spoonful of salt; mix in, by degrees, with a 
wooden spoon, four spoonfuls of salad oil, and two of vinegar; when 
it is all mixed, put it on the ice until you wish to use it; when it is 
ready to serve up, whip a gill of cream rather thick, which lightly mix 
with it; lay the inferior pieces of game in the center of the dish, and 
put some sauce over each piece; then lay over it some salad and the 
remainder of the bird, putting more sauce over it. The eggs may be 
ornamented with pieces of beet-root, and gherkins cut in diamonds 
may be placed between them. 

Salad (Lobster). — i. Take two heads of lettuce, and place a layer 
of the leaves around your salad-bowl, and in the middle of it pile your 
lobster, picked in small pieces, reserving the claws. Mash fine the 
yolks of three hard-boiled eggs with salt, cayenne pepper, mustard, 
and white sugar, half a teaspoonful of each, adding gradually two 
tablespoonfuls of fine olive oil, and three of vinegar; simmer this 
dressing over the fire, but do not let it boil; pour it over the lobster, 
and fill the space around it with the remainder of the lettuce; place on 
the lobster stars of pickled cucumber, and olives cut in halves, length- 
wise, and the stones taken out; and in the lettuce the whites of eggs, 
cut in rings and forming a chain. 

2. Take inside of large lobster, mince fine, take the yolks of two 
eggs boiled hard and mashed fine, with four tablespoonfuls of sweet 
oil; pepper, salt, vinegar and mustard to taste; mix well; add celery 
or lettuce to taste; then when serving, garnish with hard-boiled eggs. 

Salad (Orange). — i. Take one dozen oranges, peel and cut in 
slices, lay a layer of them in a glass dish, sprinkle over each layer, so 
as to cover, prepared cocoanut, and squeeze the juice of three oranges 
on top. 

2. Cut up several oranges crosswise into slices an eighth of an inch 
thick; place them on a flat glass dish, one piece half covering the 
other until the dish is covered; sift powdered sugar over them, and a 
third of a wineglassful of brandy. 



yyi }t'//.l V El'l'.KV O/VA ,SJ/t)l'/ /) AA'OIK 

Salad (Pench). IN-m h huIiuI Is imulr in ilic same way as j)r.iii^|ft 
Hiilatl, vvilli IIk- bramlv oiiiin»il. and a wincnlJlSHftil of sherry wine? 
MiliHlilnhMl. 

Salutl (Potato). Talu- lioni six to eJKlU luediurn-slijed boiled po- 
lalocs, \r\ >li( in ^rt told; llun .slice tluin lliin; two Hilvcr-skinncd 
tinions njinrcd vt-ry (nir, so hh It) ^cl the llavoi, and nol: dc-tc( I \\ir. 
onions in |)i<•^(•^.; mix tli<* latlrr willi |>aisl<"y and lli<- |)(»taio<'s; season 
with Mall and ( ay<inu' pcppt-i. 'i'ak*' one (al>l('S|)oonlwl ol dry niiis- 
(aid, moisten it with a teaspooidul <il hot vva(«r, pnl the yolks of two 
«>-.j.;h in the same dirih, heat toKfth<T with an (•^.■j;-l)(Mter until well 
mixed, then pnl in sweet oil, dro|) hy tirop, imlil il lhi( kens like cus- 
lard; a<ld one and one half leaspi»ontnls of vincKJH , put 'l over your 
jiolatoes, mix all lo)j;elhei; garnish the lop wilh small hitui c leaves 
olt'eleiy tops, or parsh-y splits. 

Salad (l*hiiadelphia). Small head of cahluiKe tul Ime, half ii ( up- 
tul ol sweet milk, half acupfid of suKar, half a < upful of Horn, <|uarler 
*>f a teaspoonl\d of nuistard, half si teaspoonful of salt; mix the mus- 
lard and Hour to).Mtli«r, with just enough vinegar to wet Ihcm; then 
mix the ollnr materials, except the ( ai)l)aKe, together <piickly; put 
them in a por< elain-lined kettle, and stir ovirr tin- fne until they eomo 
to a l)oil; lhr«»w it hot «>v<-r the (ahha^^c. stir il throuj.'.h, and cover U 
lij'.hl until it is cold. C«-leiy may be » nl wilh ihe r.d)ba>.'e; it is a 
j^if.ii improvement. 

Salad ('I'onuito) -One <Mn of tomatoes, same (|uanlily of < hopi)ed 
ttlciy, ihice i.iw e^^s beaten liKht, season with sail, and boil lon\a- 
lofs and ceh'iy to^jelher until they jin* liiick; take o(f tire; stii in the 
r^f^, and when neaily (oUI, stir in one lablespoontul of made l'aif.'.li,'.li 
nni.stard. 

Salad (Vejjetablc). • lloil a small «abbam' unlil lender, let it ^'cl 
cold, « ul il into pieces; add a chopp«'d b«)ile(l l)eet, some sliced boiled 
poialoe^i, anil some Capers. Dress with oil, vinej^ar, pe])per and salt. 

Suliiii of Duck. Krom the cold clucks left after yesterday's <lin- 
n«'i, < ul .dl Ihe nuat in as neat sli<'es as you cnu, leavinj^ the joints of 
lens and win^^s whole. Take off the skin, bi<'ak the carcass int(» 
pie«es, and put these, with the stuHin^, int<» a saucepan with a fried 
onion, some sw«-«'l heibs, salt, ami pimh of allspice; cover with 
<()ld water and slew ^cnlly. afl«i it r»M« lies tin- boil, ftu one hour. 
C ool, thai Ihe lal may i ise and be taken oil. Strain the K^'^VV vvlien 
It is skimmed, iclm n to Ihe sauce pan, boil arul skim af.;ain, imd slii 
in I wo tabteNpoiinluls ol browned lloui, vv«M with t<dd water; lastly, 
•lii in a spoonlul ol buller. .Slew live minutes lousier, and put in the 
meal. Draw to one side ol the lanj^e, and set, <-losely cover«'(l, in a 
pot i)f boiling walcr for ten minutes. The me.il musi be thorou^;hly 
heated j\nd steep«-<l in the Kravy, but not boil. Take the meal out 
wilh a perforated spoon, piU* neatly u|'on a ilish and pour the f^ravy 
«>v«-r il. (iainish wilh li ian^Us of stall* bi<-ad fried ciisp, and seful a 
pie( (• to each person who is helpeil to salmi. 

Salsify (Stewed).- Sci ape tlu: roots, tboppin^.; <-a«:h init> told 



WHAT I<:\'KA'V ONE SHOULD A' NO IV. 393 

water; you do this that they may not change color. Cut in pieces an 
inch loiiK ; cover with hot water an<l stew until tender. Drain off 
Ivvo-tliirds of the water and add enoiij^h iiiilk to cover llx* salsify. 
Sl<:w ten ndnutes in this ; piM in a ^(xxi linnp of hutter rolled thickly 
In (lour. l'('pper and salt. Uoil up for one minute. 

Salt — medicine. — i. In many a disordered stomach a teaspoonful 
of salt is a certain cure. 2. in the violent internal aching termed 
colic, add a teaspoonful of salt to a pint of cold water, drink it and 
KO to bed ; it is one <jf the speediest an<l hcst remedies known, 3. 
The same will revive a person who seems almost dead from receivinf^ 
a fall, etc. 4. In an epileptic fit, no time should be lost in |)ourin}:^ 
down salt water, if sulhcient sensibility remains to allow of swallow- 
inf( it ; if not, the head must be sponged with «:old water until the 
.senses return, when salt will completely ri^store the patient from his 
lelhar^fy. In a lit, the feet should be plated in warm wal<*r, with 
mustard, and the le^H briskly rubbed, all bandapjes removed from the 
neck, and a t:ool apartment procured, if possible. 5. In many cases 
of bleedinj.( at the lungs, wheih other remedies fail, Dr. Rush found 
that two tablesi>oonfuls of salt completely stayed the blood. 6. For 
toothache, warm salt water held to the part antl renewed two or three 
times will relieve in most cases. If the teeth b(; covered with tartar, 
wash twice a day with salt. 7. For swelled neck, wash the j)art 
with brine and drink twice a day, also, until cured. H. .Salt will 
expel worms, if used in food in a moderate degree, and aid digestion, 
but salt meat is injurious if used nuuli. 

Salt — for poultry. — I lens often have ;i habit of biting and pulling 
their feathers and greedily eating them until their bodies are bare. 
This practice, it is believed, is (Kcasioned by a want of salt, as when 
sailed food is given them they make no attempt to continue the 
habit. Salt pork chopped line and fed twicre a week has been adopted 
with success, while others put a teaspoonful of salt with two quarts of 
meal or shorts mf)istened, well mixed, and feed about twice every 
week. I'owls, like human beings, to be healthy must have a certain 
allowance of salt. 

Salt Food.— Tlie excessive use of salt UnA will produce salt- 
rheum and IIh- < anker, and also effect the hands, causing roughness 
and cracking. C^orn buskers have muni to be careful with their 
hands; they should rlo without soap as much as [jossible, and grctase 
the affected i)arts at night with unsalted mutton fat well warmed and 
rubbed iri. 

Salve (Yankee). — For boils and sores of almost every kind it will 
be found of great service : Tallow, one pound; linseed oil, one 
pound; beeswax, one-half pound; Burgundy pitch, four ounces; 
Venice lurj)entine, four ounces; resin, one-c^uarter pound; cjil of lav-' 
endcr, two ounces. Mix all tcjgether and simmer over the fire for 
about twenty miiuites. As this makes a large quantity, one-half of 
the above- ingreclients may jje taken. 

Salve (Cider). — ^One pint of hard cider, one-quarter pound of bees- 



394 WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

wax, one-quarter pound of resin, and one-half pound of lard ; boil 
the cider half away in a new earthen vessel, add the other inj^redi- 
cnts, and boil until all are thoroughly incorporated. It will cure 
every kind of sore, and is good for chapped hands also. 

Salve (Family). — Take the root of yellow dock and dandelion, 
equal parts; add good proportion of celandine and plantain. Extract 
the juices by steeping or pressing. Strain carefully, and simmer the 
lic^uid with sweet cream or fresh butter and mutton tallow, or sweet 
oil and mutton tallow. Simmer together until no appearance of the 
licjuid remains. Hefore it is quite cold, put into boxes. This is one 
of the most soothing and healing preparations for burns, scalds, cuts, 
and sores of every description. 

Salve (Green Mountain). — For rheumatism, burns, pains in the 
back or side, etc., take two pounds resin; burgundy i)itch, one-fourth 
pound; beeswax, one-fourth pound; mutton tallow, one-fourth pound; 
melt slowly; when not too warm, add oil hemlock, one ounce; bal' 
sam fir, one ounce; oil of origanum, one ounce; oil of red cedar, one 
ounce, Venice turpentine, one ounce* oil of wormwood, one ounce; 
verdigris, one-half ounce. The verdigris must be finely pulverized 
and mixed with the oils; then add as above, and work in cold water 
like wax till cold enough to roll. 

Salve (Green). — White pine turpentine and lard, half a pound of 
each; honey and beeswax, quarter of a pound each; melt all together 
and stir in half an ounce of very finely pul ^erized verdigris. This 
ointment cannot i>e surpassed when used for deep wounds. It pre- 
vents proud flesh from forming, and keeps up a healthy discharge. 

Salve (Lip). — i. Put a half pound of fresh lard into a pan with an 
ounce and a half of white wax; set on a slow fire till it is melted; 
then take a small tin dish, fill it with water, and add a few chips of 
alkanet root; let the water boil till it becomes a beautiful red color; 
strain some of it, and mix it with the other ingredients according as 
may be desired; scent it with some agreeable and favorite extract, 
and then pour it into small white jars or boxes. 

2. Take of white wax, one ounce; sweet oil, one ounce; spermaceti, 
one dram; melt all together, adding a little alkanet root to color, and 
while cooling, add oil of rose to perfume. 

Salve (Russia). — Take equal parts of yellow wax and sweet oil; 
mell slowly, carefully stirring; when cooling, stir in a small quantity 
of glycerine. Good for all kinds of wounds, etc. 

Sandwiches. — A new way to make them is to boil a few pounds of 
nice ham; chop very fine while yet warm, fat and lean together, with 
an equal quantity of lean veal boiled or roasted; rub dry mustard 
through the mass in proportion to suit the taste, also a pinch of cay- 
enne pepper; a single clove or garlic chopped with the meat vastly im- 
proves it; add as much sweet butter as you would use to spread on 
bread sandwiches; mix well, have some nice light soda and sour 
milk biscuit, cold; cut in two and spread the mixture between, or use 
muffins, if you have them. These arc very nice for a picnic or festi- 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 395 

val table, and not half the Avork of those made in the old way, as it 
saves you buttering the bread, slicing the ham, and spreading the 
mustard, and you will find the gentlemen will eat twice the number 
than if made in the old way. 

Sandwiches (Egg). — Take as many hard-boiled eggs as necessary; 
grate them; salt and pepper, put between buttered slices, and send to 
table. 

Sangaree. — Wine, ale, or porter, or two-thirds water, hot or cold, 
according to the season of the year, loaf sugar to taste, with nutmeg. 

Sarsaparilla (Ayer's). — Take three fluid ounces each oi alcohol, 
fluid extracts of sarsaparilla and of stillingia; two fluid ounces each, 
extract of yellow dock and of podophyllin; one ounce sugar, ninety 
grains iodide of potassium, and ten grains iodide of iron. 

Sauce (Butter). — Put two ounces of butter into a very clean sauce- 
pan, with two tablespoonfuls of water; dredge in a little fiour, and 
shake it over a clear fire until it boils, then pour it into a tureen. 
Another way of making butter sauce is to put a teaspoonful of flour 
and a pinch of salt into a bowl, mix them gradually with a quarter of 
pint of cold water or milk; shake it over the fire until it has boiled 
for the space of two minutes, then add an ounce and a half of butter, 
chopped into small pieces or slices; dissolve it over the fire, shaking 
the saucepan continually around in the same direction till the butter 
is melted. Let it boil for one minute, when it will be done. 

Sauce (Foam). — One cup of sugar, two-thirds cup of butter, one 
spoonful flour, beaten together until smooth; place over the fire, and 
stir in three gills of boiling water; flavor with nutmeg. 

Sauce (Horseradish).— I. Horseradish sauce is preferred by some 
people to the plain, grated radish. Take two tablespoonfuls each of 
made mustard and white sugar, half a teaspoonful of salt, one gill of 
vinegar. Beat these together, and pour over as much grated radish 
as it will moisten sufficiently. 

2, Grate a quantity of horseradish, boil it in sufficient water to 
give it the consistency of sauce, add a pinch of salt and two or three 
tablespoonfuls of tarragon vinegar, then stir in off the fire a gill of 
cream beaten up with the yolk of an egg. 

Sauce (Lemon). — Half cup butter, one cup of sugar, one egg, one 
grated lemon, three tablespoonfuls of boiling water; put in a tin pail 
and set in a pan of boiling water to thicken. 

Sauce (Mayonnaise). — Yolks of two eggs, one saltspoonful of 
salt, half do. pepper, one tablespoonful vinegar, one teaspoonful 
mustard. Beat well together, and add while beating a gill of oil. 

Sauce (Mint.) — Two tablespoonfuls green mint, chopped fine, 
add to it two tablespoonfuls sugar, and half a cupful of vinegar 

Sauce (Parsley). — Wash a handful of parsley, and chop it up 
finely with the pulp and rind of a lemon; melt an ounce of butter in 
a saucepan, mix with it a tablespoonful of flour, add the parsley and 
lemon; also add sufficient broth or stock to make the sauce, a little 



3yb WHA T E VER V ONE SIIO ULD KNO W. 

powdered mace, and a few capers; stir over the fire, and when part- 
ly cooked, take off fire and add the yolks of four well-beaten eggs. 

Sauce (Green Tomato). — Cut up two gallons of green tomatoes; 
take three gills of black mustard seed, three tablespoonfuls of dry 
mustard, two and a half of black pepper, one and a half of allspice, 
four of salt, two of celery seed, one quart each of chopped onions 
and sugar, and two and a half quarts, of good vinegar, a little red 
pepper to taste. Beat the spices and boil all together until well 
done. 

Sauces — when to sweeten. — Experience teaches us not to flavor 
or sweeten sauces with sugar, until they are nearly or quite cooked. 
By long boiling some spices and essences develop a bitter, unpleasant 
flavor, and we know fruit requires a third more sugar than if added to 
it when ready to take from the stove, owing, we read, to the saccha- 
rine properties of the sugar being converted into glucose or grape 
sugar, which is not so sweet. 

Sausag^es (Bologna). — Take equal quantities bacon fat and lean 
beef, veal, pork, and beef suet; chop them small, season with pepper, 
salt, etc., with sweet herbs and sage rubbed fine. Have well washed 
intestines, fill, and prick them; boil gently for an hour, and lay on 
straw to dry. 

Sausage-making. — Of course those who raise their own pork will 
make their own sausages; and those who are fond of sausage meat, 
but have to buy it, will find it greatly to their advantage to purchase 
meat before it is cut up, and season it for themselves. Sausages made 
of beef and pork are more wholesome and more hearty than those 
made of pork alone. About one-fourth of the meat should be fat and 
the three-fourths be equally divided between lean beef and pork. 
With a machine which costs only a few dollars, the labor of chopping 
the meat will be trifling and the machine will be found useful in mak- 
ing mince pies, hash, and salads. For the sausages, take twelve 
pounds of chopped meat, six ounces of salt, four ounces of sage, one 
ounce of black pepper, half a teaspoonful red pepper, and a teaspoon- 
ful powdered saltpeter; mix thoroughly, and put in skins or in cases 
of muslin, and smoke moderately. It is well to put in only a part of 
the seasoning and trv the meat to see what additions it needs to make 
it right. If, instead of smoking the sausage they be fried in hot lard, 
after the manner of cooking doughnuts, then packed in jars and the 
lard poured over them, they will keep without spoiling until warm 
weather. Very good sausages are made of hogs' hearts, after the fol- 
lowing recipe: Twenty pounds hogs' hearts, ten pounds fat pork, 
twelve ounces salt, six ounces pepper, sage to taste, other spices if 
you like; chop fine and put in skins. 

The quality will depend largely upon the kind of meat or meats 
used. Cutting or grinding fine is desirable, running twice or more 
through the machine unless it be a better one than most of those in 
use. It docs not pay to use " skins; " to prepare the intestines thor- 
oughly involves much labor, and they add nothing to the substance 



WHA r E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 397 

or flavor. For early use, press the meat into cakes with the hands, 
and pack the rest in earthen jars, to be made into cakes as wanted for 
frying. For long keeping, into summer if desired, make into suita- 
ble cakes and fry; pack in jars, and fill these with melted lard. The 
pieces can be taken out at any time and simply warmed through; they 
will be as sweet and fresh as when first prepared. Don't spoil sau- 
sage meat with spices or mint. Use salt and pepper moderately, 
leaving every, one to apply these freely in eating, as individually de- 
sired. 

Sausage — to keep. — Cook them nearly done, put them in tin cans, 
cover them with some kind of good grease, seal them up the same as 
you would any kind of fruit. They will keep any length of time. 

Sa"ws (Circular) — to repair. — The best way to do this is to drill a 
small round hole at the termination of the crack, which effectually 
prevents its further extention. I have seen some circular saws very 
neatly repaired by riveting thin clamps to each side of the fracture, 
both clamps and rivets being countersunk so they will be level with 
the surface of the saw, and placed in such a position across the crack 
as to impart the greatest possible strength to the weakest place. 

Saws (Cross-cut) — to mend. — In the first place scarf off the broken 
edges in such a manner that they will lap over each other, heat, place 
it on the an\'il and unite the joint as rapidly as possible with the 
hammer; be careful not to heat so hot as to injure the steel. When 
the job is well done, and the part properly tempered, it will be found 
as strong as the rest of the plate. 

Saws (Broken) — to mend. — Pure silver, nineteen part's; pure cop- 
per one part; pure brass, two parts; all to be filed into powder and 
thoroughly mixed; place the saw level on the anvil, broken edges in 
contact, and hold them so; now put a small line of the mixture along 
the seam, covering it with a larger bulk of powdered charcoal; now 
with a spirit-lamp and a jeweler's blow-pipe hold the coal-dust in 
place, and blow sufficient to melt the solder mixture; then with a 
hammer, set the joint smooth, and file away any superfluous solder, 
and you will be surprised at its strength; the heat will not injure the 
temper of the saw. 

Scab (In Sheep) — ointment for. — Scab in sheep is a disease of the 
skin, arising from the presence of a minute insect which buries itself 
in the skin. The following ointment will cure if applied persistently: 
Lard, two pounds; oil of tar, one-half pound; sulphur, one pound. 
Mix the two latter ingredients gradually, then add the former, and 
rub down altogether. Tobacco water is also good. 

Scale in Boilers — to remove. — Petroleum has recently been suc- 
cessfully employed for the removal and prevention of scale in steam- 
boilers, also for the removal of deposits from water-pipes where the 
water contains large quantities of lime. It has the effect of penetrat- 
ing and rottmg the scale, causing it to become porous and disengage 
itself from the surface to which it is attached. It is a very simple 
remedy, and can be used in small quantities v,'ithont any difficulties 



398 WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO IV. 

Avhatever — say about a quart every week for a twenty-five horse- 
power boiler, and in quantities more or less according to the size of 
the boilers. It may be introduced in the feed-water, or through the 
safety-valve, or in any way most convenient for the purpose; but to be 
effective, it must be pure. The heavy oil used for lubricating pur- 
poses in cold situations is the most efficient, as the refined oil of this 
description is of no use, as it is soon expelled by the heat. 

Scalds and Burns. — The very best thing to be done when any one 
has received a burn or a scald, is to lay on the part that is injured a 
thick coating of cotton wool or Avadding, so as to completely exclude 
the air. If the above wool happens not to be at hand, scraped potato 
or turnip will ease the pain. 

Scarlet Fever — treatment. — An eminent physician says he cures 
ninety-nine out of every hundred cases of scarlet fever by giving the 
patient warm lemonade with gum arable dissolved in it. A cloth 
wrung out in hot water and laid upon -the stomach should be removed 
as rapidly as it becomes cool. In cases where physicians are not 
easily obtainable, simple remedies are not to be despised. 

Scorched Lime — to bleach. — If a shirt-bosom or .any other article 
has been scorched in ironing, lay it where bright sunshine will fall 
directly upon it. It will remove it entirely. 

Scours in Calves. — For scours in calves, a raw egg broken into 
their milk is the most effectual remedy that I have ever tried. A 
piece of rennet soaked in milk is also good; but I prefer the raw egg. 

Scouring in Horses or Cattle. — Tormentil root, powdered. Dose 
for a horse or cow, one to one and a half ounces. It may be stirred 
into one pint of milk, and given ; or it may be steeped in one and a 
half pints of milk, then given from three to six times daily, until 
cured. 

Scours and Pin-Worms in Horses and Cattle. — White ash bark 
burned into ashes and made into a rather strong lie; then mix one-half 
pint of it with one pint of warm water, and give all two or three times 
daily. This will certainly carry off the worms, which are the cause, 
in most instances, of scours and looseness. 

Scratches — to cure. — Scratches of all kinds are generally painful. 
If the wound is made by a pin a little poultice of bread and milk 
should be applied for an hour or so, and then salve until it is healed. 

Scratches in Horses. — Cut off the hair close and wash the legs in 
strong soap-suds or urine, or wash with warm vinegar saturated 
with salt, and afterward dress over with a small quantity of hog's 
lard. 

Scratches in Furniture — to remove. — One can remove scratches 
from furniture, if not too deep, by rubbing with oil or camphorated 
oil. Mix one teaspoonful of spirits of camphor with two of oil. 
Common kerosene takes out scratches, but smells unpleasantly for a 
little while afterward. 

Scrap Basket — to m,ake. — A pretty receptacle for scraps or waste 
paper may be made from a peach basket, by weaving strips of blue 



IVI/A T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO IV. 399 

silesia in and out between the slats, and then making a full lining 
which shall be deep enough to form a puff over the top. I made 
mine by weaving in strips of black and pale yellow galloon, one 
above and one below the band, the band itself being covered with 
blue silesia, and finished with a bow of the same. 

Scrap Book — for pictures. — A picture scrap book, fascinating to 
both girls and boys, m.ay be made as follows : Cut tinted pasteboard 
into leaves of convenient size. On these paste pictures of all sorts 
that may have accumulated in the house, such as advertising cards, 
wood-cuts, and the like. Punch holes through these leaves and tie 
together with bright ribbons. When the pictures are prettily 
arranged and interposed with bits of poetry, rhymes and gingles, the 
book will hardly fail to prove a source of entertainment. 

Screws (Rusty) — to remove. — It often happens that screws and 
nails become so rusted into wood that it is impossible to remove them 
without damage; whenever this is the case, pour a little kerosene over 
them, and after soaking a short time the rust will give way. By the 
same application, nuts and bolts thac have been fixed by rust for 
years may be made to turn. The kerosene soon penetrates the in- 
terstices. 

Screw in Plaster. — It often becomes desirable to insert screws 
into plaster walls without attaching them to any wood-work ; but 
when we turn them the plaster gives way, and our effort is vain; and 
yet a screw may be inserted in plaster, so as to hold light pictures, 
etc., very firmly. Enlarge the hole to about twice the diameter of 
the screw, fill it with plaster of Paris, such as is used for fastening the 
tops of lamps, etc., and bed the screw in the soft plaster. When the 
plaster has set the screw will hold like iron. , 

Screens — to make. — A simple and easily made fire screen has, in- 
stead of the ordinary panel, a rod across the top, from which depends 
a full curtain of velveteen with a dado of stamped plush, studded 
with small spangles. For any one who has time and taste for em- 
broidery, a strip of sateen, decorated with needlework, may take the 
place of the plush. 

A screen to take in the hand, or put in a movable rest, is made by 
covering a long handled Japanese fan with black satin, on which is 
worked, in silver gray silk, a representation of a spider's web, which 
may be drawn from nature without much trouble. The web is worked 
on a large scale, in much the same way that ladies were fond of orna- 
menting buttons a few years ago — bars radiating from a center, and 
lines of silk going around, with a stitch taken over the bar at each 
intersection, to prevent the circular effect demanded for the button. 
The other side of the fan may be covered with plain satin, with a flat 
bow in the center, and the handle may be colored red or black. 

For screens framed in ebony, gilded leather furnishes one of the 
best of materials. 

Scurf in the Head — to remove. — A lump of fresh quicklime the size 
of a walnut dropped into, a pint of water and allowed to stand all 



400 WHA T E VER Y ONE SHOULD KNO W. 

night, the water being then poured off from the sediment and mixed 
with a quarter of a pint of the best vinegar, forms the best wash for 
scurf in the head. It is to ])c applied to the roots of the hair. 

Scre"W Cutting — to make dies for. — In making dies for screw- 
cutting, Ihcy should, whenever practicable, be lapped with a tap«r 
tap, as they cut more easily and wear longer than those which are cut 
straight, and then tapered off to make the screw "take." 

Very fine threaded screws, however, cut well with straight dies. 
Small dies, or dies below one-fourth of an inch in size, should only 
have three lips in them. Dies from one-fourth to one-half should 
have four lips in them. Dies from three-fourths to one inch should 
have six lips in them ; and dies from one inch to one and a half 
should have seven lips in them. The cuts through dies should be 
only twice the depth of the thread, which is sufficient to make them 
free themselves from chips, for when cut too deep they are liable to 
break on the face. Harden and draw to a straw color. 

Screws — to make hold. — When screws are driven into soft wood, 
subjected to considerable strain, they are very likely to work loose, 
and many times it is very difficult to make them hold. In every case 
we have found the use of glue profitable. Prepare the glue thick ; 
immerse a stick about the size of the screw and drive it home as soon 
as possible. When there is some article of furniture to be repaired 
and no glue handy,^ insert the stick and then fill the rest of the cavity 
with pulverixed resin, then heat the screw sufficient to melt the 
resin as it is driven in. Chairs, tables, lounges, etc., are continu- 
ally getting out of order in every house ; and the time to repair the 
break is when first noticed. If neglected the matter grows still 
worse, and finally results in the laying by of the article of furniture as 
worthless. Where screws are driven into the. wood for temporary 
purposes they can be removed much easier by dipping them in oil 
before inserting. When buying screws, notice what you are getting ,' 
for there are poor as well as g(M)d kinds. See that the heads are 
sound and well cut; that there are no flaws in the body or thread part 
and that they have good gimlet points. A screw of one make will 
drive intcv oak as easy as others into pine, and endure having twice 
the force brought against it. 

Sea Foam for Barbers. — Alcohol, four ounces; castor oil, one 
ounce; ammonia, one-half ounce; water one pint. Dissolve the 
castor oil and ammonia in the alcohol, then add the alcohol mixture 
to the water. 

Sealing-wax (Red). — Shellac (very pale), four ounces; cautiously 
melt in a bright copper pan over a clear charcoal fire; when fused, 
add Venice turpentine, one and one-fourth ounces. Mix, and fur- 
ther add vermilion, three ounces; remove the pan from the fire, and 
pour into a mold. For a black col,or, use ivory black, or lampblack, 
instead of the vermilion; for a blue color, use Prussian blue, instead 
of vermilion, same (piantity. ICach color must be well mixed with 
the composition; of the lampblack, use only sufficient to color. 



' WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW, 401 

Sealing-wax (Gold Color). — Bleached shellac, three pounds; Ven- 
ice turpentine, one pound; Dutch leaf ground fine, one pound, or 
less. The leaf should be ground, or powdered sufficiently fine, 
without being reduced to dust. Mix with a gentle heat, and pour 
into molds. 

Sea-sickness — sure preventive. — Make a mild decoction of the 
bark of the wild cherry, about the strength of breakfast tea, and take 
a wineglassful before every meal for three days before going to sea; 
on the last day take a mild aperient. 

Sea-sickness — treatment of. — Few ailments are more distressing 
than sea-sickness, and, unfortunately, there are very few less amen- 
able to remedies. In our opinion, sea-sickness is more easily pre- 
vented than cured; for, when the attack has once begun, it is hard- 
ly possible to keep anything on the stomach. Those who are sub- 
ject to this complaint should be careful, before they go on board, to 
take no food which is likely to turn acid. Dry hard biscuits and 
brandy and water are the best preparations for a sea voyage, and a 
little soda may be added to the latter with advantage; a recumbent 
posture as near as possible in the center of the vessel is best. Those 
who can take any remedy may find benefit from the following mixtr 
ure: Three tablespoonfuls of camphor julep, thirty drops of ether, 
six drops of laudanum, twenty grains of magnesia. The dose may 
be repeated after four hours, if the sickness seems likely to return. 
The feet and hands should be kept warm. 

An India-rubber bag of ice placed down the spine is a certain pre- 
ventive of sea-sickness. The ice should be renewed as required. 
This powerful preventive should not be resorted to without medical 
advice. 

Sea-vrater (Artificial). — Sea-water is so beneficial in all cases of 
local debility, and often so difficult to be obtained, that any good imi- 
tation of it must be considered a great boon. The following mixture 
possesses most of the properties of pure sea-water, and will be found 
an excellent substitute when it cannot be procured; One gallon of 
pure spring water, two ounces of common salt, one-fourth ounce of 
muriate of magnesia, three drams of muriate of lime, one dram of 
sulphate of soda, one dram of sulphate of magnesia. Stir these in- 
gredients well together till all are melted, when the water will be fit 
for use. 

Sea-water — to make fit for v^ashing linen. — Soda put into sea- 
water makes it turbid; the lime and magnesia fall to the bottom. To 
make sea-water fit for washing linen at sea, as much soda must be 
put in it as not only to effect a complete precipitation of these earths, 
but to render the sea-water sufficiently laxivial or akaline. Soda 
should always be taken to sea for this purpose. 

Sea-"V7eeds — to collect and lay out. — First wash the sea-weed in 
fresh water, then take a plate or dish (the larger the better), cut your 
paper to the size required, place it on the plate with fresh water, and 
spread out the plant with a good-sized camel's-hair pencil in a natural 



402 JV/L4 T EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. ' 

form (picking out with the pin gives the sea-weed an unnatural ap- 
pearance, and destroys the characteristic fall cf the branches, which 
should be carefully avoided); then gently raise the paper with the 
specimen out of the water, placing it in a slanting position for a few 
moments, so as to allow the superabundant water to run off; after 
which place it in the press. The press is made with either three 
pieces of board or pasteboard. Lay on the first board two sheets of 
blotting-paper; on that lay your specimens; place straight and 
smooth over them a piece of old muslin, fine cambric, or linen; then 
some more blotting-paper, and place another board on the top of 
that, and continue in the same way. The blotting-paper and the 
muslin should be carefully removed and dried every day, and then 
replaced; at the same time those specimens that are sufficiently 
dried may be taken away. Nothing now remains but to write on 
each the name, date and locality. You can either gum the speci- 
mens in a scrap-book, or fix them in, as drawings are often fastened, 
by making four slits in the page, and inserting each corner. This is 
by far th? best plan, as it admits of their removal, without injury to 
the page, at any future period, if it be required either to insert bet- 
ter specimens, or intermediate species. Some of the large algai will 
not adhere to the paper, and consequently require gumming. The 
following method of preserving them has been communicated to me 
by a botanical friend: " After well cleaning and pressing, brush the 
coarser kinds of algaj over with spirits of turpentine, in which two 
or three small lumps of gum mastic have been dissolved by shaking 
in a warm place; two-thirds of a small phial is the proper portion, 
and this will make the specimens retain a fresh appearance. 

Secrets of Health. — First, keep warm; second, eat regularly 
and slowly; third, maintain regularly bodily habits; fourth, take 
early and very light suppers; fifth, keep a clean skin; sixth, get 
plenty of sleep at night; seventh, keep cheerful and respectable com- 
pany; eighth, keep out of debt; ninth, don't set your mind on things 
you don't need; tenth, mind your own business; eleventh, don't set 
yourself up to be a sharper of any kind; twelfth, subdue curiosity; 
thirteenth, avoid drugs. 

Seidlitz Powders. — Rochelle salts, two drams; bicarbonate soda, 
two scruples; put these into a blue paper, and thirty-five grains tar- 
taric acid into a white paper. To use, put each into different tum- 
blers, fill one-half with water, adding a little loaf sugar to the acid, 
then pour together and drink quick. 

Seidlitz Water (Bottled). Fill soda water bottles with clear 
water; add to each as below; cork and wire immediately: Rochelle 
salts, three drops; bicarbonate of soda, thirty-five grams; sulphuric 
acid, eleven drops. 

Self-control. — In some people passion and emotion are never 
checked, but are allowed to burst out in a blaze whenever they come. 
Others suppress them by main force, and preserve a callous exterior 
when there are raging fires within. Others are never excited over 



WHA T E VER V ONE SIIO ULD K'NO W. 403 

anything. Some govern themselves on some subjects, but not on 
others. Very much can be done by culture to give the will control 
over the feelings. 

One of the very best means of culture is the persistent withdrawing 
of the mind from the subject which produces the emotion and con- 
centrating it elsewhere. The man or woman who persistently per- 
mits the mind to dwell on disagreeable themes only spite's him or 
herself. Children, of course, have less control, and parents and 
teachers must help them to turn their attention from that which ex- 
cites them to something else; but adults when they act like children 
ought to be ashamed of themselves. The value of self-control as a 
hygienic agent is very great. It prevents great waste of vitality in 
feeling, emotion and passion. It helps to give one a mastery over 
pain and distress, rather than it over us. 

Sewer Gas — how to find out w^hether it enters your house. — 
Procure an ounce or two of essence of peppermint in a small glass 
phial. Pour it into the drain or water-closet which communicates 
most directly with the main drain, if possible into one outside the 
house. Then pour after it a gallon of hot water. A leakage of sewer- 
gas will be immediately indicated by an odor of peppermint. The 
phial should not be brought into the house, but be thrown out of the 
window or recorked and left; and, if possible, the person who pours 
the drug into the drain should not come into the house or rooms to 
be tested for some time, as the odor clings pertinaciously to the 
clothes, and may in this way give unnecessary alarm. 

Shampoo Liquids. — i. An excellent shampoo is made of salts of tar- 
tar, white castile soap, bay rum and luke-warm water. The salts will 
remove all dandruff, the soap will soften the hair and clean it thor- 
oughly, and the bay rum will prevent taking cold. 

2. Mix borax, three-fourths pound, with salts tartar, one-fourth 
pound, and dissolve one ounce of the mixture in one pint of water. 

3. Dissolve one-half ounce carbonate of ammonia and one ounce 
of borax in one quart of water, then add two ounces of glycerine, 
three quarts of New England rum, and one quart of bay rum; moisten 
the hair with this liquor; shampoo with the hands until a slight lather 
is formed, then wash off with clean water. 

4. Soft water, one pint; sal soda, one ounce; cream tartar, one- 
fourth ounce. Apply thoroughly to the hair. 

Sheep — to protect from flies. — The months of July and August 
are the ones when sheep in many localities are subject to a most ag- 
gravating annoyance from a fly {oestrus bovis) which seems bound to 
deposit its larvae in the nostrils. It infects wooded districts and shady 
places where the sheep resort for shelter, and by its ceaseless attempts 
to enter the nose makes the poor creature almost frantic. If but one 
fly is in a flock they all become agitated and alarmed. They will 
assemble in groups, holding their heads close together and their 
noses to the ground. As they hear the buzzing of the little pest go- 
ing from one to another, they will crowd their muzzles into the loose 



404 WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

dirt, made by their stamping, to protect themselves, and as the pest 
succeeds in entering the nose of a victim, it will start on a run, fol- 
lowed by the whole flock, to find a retreat from its enemy, throwing 
its head from side to side, as if in the greatest agony, while the 
oestrus, having gained his lodging place, assiduously deposits its larvae 
in the inner margin of the nose. Here, added by warmth and moist- 
ure, the eggs quickly hatch into a small maggot, which, carrying out 
its instincts, begins to crawl up into the nose through a crooked open- 
ing in the bone. The annoyance is fearful, and maddening, as it 
works its way up into the head and cavities. 

The best known remedy is tar, in which is mixed a small amount 
of crude carbolic acid. If the scent of the acid does not keep the fly 
away he gets entangled in the tar, which is made soft by the heat of 
the animal. Any kind of tar or turpentine is useful for this purpose, 
and greatly promotes the comfort of the sheep, and prevents the rav- 
ages of the bot in the head. 

Shawl (Breakfast) — to crochet. — Make a chain corresponding in 
length to the desired size of the shawl around the neck. Crochet a 
row of double stitch on this chain, putting a stitch in each loop of the 
chain. Between the first and second stitches of this row attach three 
double stitches; between the fourth and fifth, three; between the 
seventh and eighth, three. Continue in the same manner until the 
middle of the chain is reached, where six stitches should be made. 
The last half of the row is to be crocheted like the first half. The 
work will now appear divided into clusters of three stitches each. For 
the next row crochet three stitches between the first and second 
stitches of the first cluster, three after it and every succeeding cluster, 
six between the two clusters that mark the middle, and three between 
the last two stitches of the last cluster. Each remaining row to be 
worked in the same manner, taking care always to work one cluster 
between the two stitches at each end of the row, and two clusters ex- 
actly in the middle. Widened in this way the ^ottom of the shawl 
will describe the two equal sides of the right angled triangle. 

Shawl (Crape) — to clean. — Wash it in warm suds made of white 
soap dissolved; rub the spots gently, so as not to injure the texture; 
rinse in blue water and twice in clear lukewarm water, and pin it to 
dry. 

Shawl (Shetland) — to wash. — Make a thin lather of boiled soap 
and water; plunge the shawl in this, and gently strip it through the 
hand. It must never be rubbed or wrung. When clean, rinse through 
water without any soap, hang it up for about a minute, shake it gently 
by each side alternately, pin it out on a sheet exactly square, and if 
the shawl be of a fine texture it should be lightly sewed down to the 
sheet by the top of the fringe to prevent it running up; then go over 
the whole fringe, drawing each thread separate, and laying it straight 
out. If these directions are carefully attended to the shawls may be 
washed many times, and each lime appear as well as when new. 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 405 

; They should never be put into the hands of any but those who are 
accustomed to wash lace. 

Sheep (Foot-rot in) — to cure. — Clean the foot well, and pare off 
all decayed parts of the hoof and frog, taking care not to draw blood. 
Mix equal quantities of powdered sulphate and acetate of copper to a 
paste with crab verjuice, and then dress the foot with this every 
other day. Keep the foot in a gutta-percha boot till quite well. 

Sheep — to mark without injury to the wool. — To thirty spoon- 
fuls of linseed oil, add two ounces of litharge, one ounce of lamp- 
black; boil all together, and mark the sheep therewith. 

Sheep — to cure when poisoned. — Take rue leaves, as many as you 
can grasp between thumb and fore-finger. Bruise them; squeeze 
the juice into a half teacup of water, and drench the sheep with it. 
If the sheep are poisoned very bad, drench the second time, which 
will never fail to cure. 

Sheeps' Wool — care of. — Washing sheep under the present sys- 
tem of buying wool will, perhaps, be the prevailing practice. If 
care is taken to keep the sheep so that the wool will not be filled 
with dirt, it is better not to wash. Fleece should be done up with 
care, nicely rolled and securely tied with light twine. When it is 
known that a farmer puts up his wool in neat shape without any tags, 
etc., he will obtain the highest price. Everywhere, but especially 
here, "honesty is the best policy." 

Sheets — to make. — Sheets should be three yards long and two 
breadths wide, unless made of full breadth linen. Linen sheets last 
longer than cotton ones, and in hot weather are the most comfort- 
able, but in our variable climate cotton sheets are much preferable, 
especially for delicate or rheumatic people. 

Sheet-iron Stoves — to preserve. — Sheet-iron stoves should be 
rubbed over once a week with a piece of flannel wet with a few drops 
of oil or melted lard. 

Sheet of Paper — to split. — Get a piece of plate-glass and place on 
it a sheet of paper, then let the latter be thoroughly soaked. With 
care and a little dexterity the sheet can be split by the top surface 
being removed. But the best plan is to paste a piece of cloth or 
strong paper to each side of the sheet to be split. When dry, vio- 
lently and without hesitation pull the two pieces asunder, when part 
of the sheet will be found to have adhered to one and part to the 
other. Soften the paste in water, and the pieces can be easily 
removed from the cloth. The process is generally demonstrated as a 
matter of curiosity, yet it can be utilized in various ways. If we want 
to paste in a scrap-book a newspaper article printed on both sides of 
the paper, and possess only one copy, it is very convenient to know 
how to detach the one side from the other. The paper when split, 
as may be imagined, is more transparent than it was before being 
subjected to the operation, and the printing ink is somewhat duller; 
otherwise the two pieces present the appearance of the original if 
again brought together. 



4o6 WIIA T E VER V ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

Shelf (Mantel) — how to make. — If you have no mantel, and need 
something to take the place of one in your sitting-room or parlor, 
have a shelf cut about two yards and a quarter in length and a quar- 
ter of -a yard in width out of a pine board; fasten it firmly upon two 
iron brackets with screws, and then screw the brackets to the place 
upon the wall where the shelf can go and be most useful. If you 
have the outer corners rounded, the shelf will look better when it is 
covered. Cover it with a pretty cretonne, tacking the cloth smooth- 
ly to the board; then make a curtain about a quarter of a yard deep, 
sew on the edge a cheap jute or fancy cotton fringe of the colors in 
the cretonne, and tack the upper edge neatly over the top, covering 
around the edge of the shelf. Over these tacks sew a narrow gimp. 
Shirt-bosoms — to render glossy. — The best recipe for glossed 
shirt-bosoms is to take two ounces of fine gum arable powder, pour 
on a pint or more of water, and then, having covered it, let it stand 
iUl night. In the morning pour it carefully from the dregc- into a 
clean bottle, cork and keep it for use. Add a teaspoonful of this gum 
water to a pint of starch made in the usual way. 

Shirts — proper way to do up, — An easy way, I have found, is to 
dissolve the starch in a little cold water, then jjour on hot — not boil-^ 
ing — water, say half a pint to two teaspoonfuls of starch; wet the' 
bosom in this, roll them up, let them lie two or three hours, and iron 
in the usual way. '_] 

When cuffs, collars, or shirts are to be ironed, so they can be worn^ 
some little lime without becoming soiled, similar to laundry work, 1^^ 
requires more time and labor. "^ 

I have known one shirt, when "done up " as follows, to outlast 
two or three ironed the easier way: Dissolve two tablespoonfuls of 
starch in cold water, then pour on about a quart of boiling water, 
stirring all the time; add a piece of spermaceti the size of a large 
hickorynut, or some nice clean tallow, and let it boil until clear. 
Use as hot as possible, as it soaks in better. The cuifs and collars 
can be put into the hot starch with a spoon until cool enough to use 
the hands. Rub the starch in well, wring but little, and hang up to 
dry. If the clothes are starched after they have been dried they will 
absorb more starch and be much stiffer. When again dried, I usually 
wet them in some thin boiled or unboiled starch, as described above; 
then roll tightly — the cuffs and collars rolled in a dry cloth, dampened 
a little on the outside — and leave all over night before ironing. If the 
shirts are not wanted quite so stiff, wet them in hot water instead of 
thin starch. If any part is to dry in the morning, dampen with a wet 
cloth first, then rub all the wrinkles,' if any, to the edge of the bosom 
or under the plaits, loosening the plaits and ironing in the usual 
way. 

To polish after ironing, moisten the surface with boiled starch and 
iron briskly with a smoothing-iron (I use a nickle-plaited one). Cuffs 
and collars are treated similarly, but on the wrong side rst. If 
they are not yet stiff enough, rub in, while ironing, more thick 



IVHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 407 

starch, cold or hot, and polish them as directed. When done, tip the 
iron and draw the edge back and forth over the inside of the cuff or 
collar, which will round it to the shape of the arm or neck. 

The linen part of turn-down collars should be finished first, then 
the other part ironed on the wrong side, as it will turn over better. 
Any time when ironing, little specks or soiled spots can be rubbed 
off with a damp cloth. It will no doubt require some practice to do 
the above satisfactorily, but I trust that labor and patience will be 
rewarded with success. 

Shirts — how to make. — He needed a new supply of shirts! When a 
bachelor, he had them made to order, at nine dollars per half dozen, I 
knew the material cost much less than that, and should I believe my more 
'experienced friends, and acknowledge myself beaten by a combination 
of cotton and linen, without even a trial of strength? Pride and self- 
conceit cried, never! and this is how I accomplished my task. 

A shirt which was past wear was carefully cut up. I did not rip it, 
fearing to stretch the pieces out of shape, but I cut close by each 
seam. When I had cut out half of the shirt, I ironed out each piece 
smoothly, and cut a paper pattern of each one, allowing for the 
seams I had cut off. A small difficulty arose here, as the old shirt 
was a little too low cut in the neck, but I allowed what I thought 
right for that. I bought nine yards of Wamsutta muslin for three 
shirts, though eight will do by piecing the sleeves, and three-eighths of 
a yard each of fine butcher's linen, he liking a short front. The ma- 
terials for the three shirts cost what one shirt did when made to 
order, 

I shrunk all the material before beginning to work, by scalding well 
in clear water, and shaking out to dry. Wringing creases the cloth, 
making it hard to iron, while if it is well shaken out and hung up 
smoothly, there will be little trouble. 

Now I was all ready for work. I cut out only one shirt at first, as 
it was an experiment, but now I cut three at a time, then I can baste 
each one as far as possible, and stitch all at once. I first cut the 
opening down the middle of the back. The right side I hemmed 
very narrowly, the left side I faced, allowing the facing to project 
enough for a lap. The yokes I cut in one piece, making the fold 
come at the middle of the back. It makes a neater finish than a seam 
there. Gathering each side of the back, I stitched the yokes on, wrong 
side first, then turned them up and stitched them again. I faced the 
fronts with muslin the whole width to three inches below the 
armhole. It makes them wear much longer. The bosom was one 
thickness each of linen and butcher's linen, with one narrow tuck 
turning each way from the center, simulating a wide plait stitched on 
either edge. I merely turned in the edges and stitched twice around 
the edge, then I joined the front and back, and put on the band. 
This is the most difficult part, but it is easy, if you are careful not to 
stretch either part. Then came the hemming of the bottom, and 
finishing the sleeves at the wrists, which I do by narrow hems on 



4o8 WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

each side, and narrow muslin bands. Muslin wears better than linen. 
I allow an inch on the sleeve in sewing it in the armhole, an<i turn 
down the overlapping edge and stitch it lile a hem. Sew all up in a 
long seam and fell it. Add gussets at the wrist and bottom. Work 
the button-holes and all is done. I put no buttons on, but use pearl 
or gold studs at wrists and all. 

Shirt making has no terrors for me now, but is rather a pleasure, 
for I know my pattern is all right, and there is no guess work. 

Shoe-bag — to make. — Reading of the different receptacles for 
shoes, in the way of shoe-cases, bags and boj^es, I became interested, 
and went to work to construct one for my own use, and now, as it is 
unlike all the others I have noticed, I find myself wanting to tell of 
it. Although made of very homely materials, it has turned out to be 
rather ornamental, and as it is so cheap, may be some one else will 
want to make another. ^si 

I took a fine, brown coffee-sack, cut it one yard in length, twelve 
inches wide, and three pockets, ten inches deep and same width as 
the back. I worked a heavy border in coral stitch around the top, 
and around each pocket, with scarlet yarn, using it double to make 
the pattern large enough to suit the canvas. The first pocket I orna- 
mented with a design in canvas, doing it in double cross stitch, and 
enlarging by passing over eight threads, instead of two. On the 
second pocket is the word " Shoes," and on the third my initials. The 
pockets overlap a little. Then I bound it all arourwl with scarlet 
dress braid, putting two loops on the top. It requires to be tacked 
at each pocket to keep it in place or shape. I like the coral pattern 
because it is so quickly done, and use it in preference to all others 
for this kind of work. 

Shoe-box. — A nice stool can be made by taking a soap-box or any 
small-sized box from a grocery store; fix a lid by nailing pieces of 
leather on for hinges; fasten a piece in front to lift it up, then cover 
it with pieces of carpet tacked on with brass-headed nails; cut some 
pieces of old quilts to pad the top, then cover with carpet and trim 
around the lid with any old cast-off fringe. This makes a convenient 
piece of furniture, useful for keeping shoes in, out of sight. >£ 

Shoe-soles — how to preserve. — Melt together tallow and com*--, 
mon resin, in the proportion of two parts of the former to one of the 
latter, and apply the preparation, hot, to the soles of the boots or 
shoes — as much of it as the latter will absorb. One farmer declaresi 
that this little recipe alone has been worth mere than five dollars. • 

Shoe and Harness Edge — best color for. — Alcohol, one pint; 
tincture of iron, one and one-half ounces; extract of logwood, one 
ounce; pulverized nutgalls, one ounce; soft water, one-half pint; 
sweet oil, one-half ounce; put this last into the alcohol before adding 
the water. Nothing can exceed the beautiful finish imparted to the 
leather by this preparation. 

Shoeing Horses. — A smith who shod for the hunt, and who saidi 
that he would have to shut up shop if a shoe was lost, as it might 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W, 409 

cause the loss of a horse worth a thousand pounds, fastened the shoe 
as follows: As he drove the nails, he merely bent the points down to 
the hoof, without twisting them off, as the usual practice is; he then 
drove the nails home and clinched them. He then twisted off the 
nails, and filed them lightly to smooth them, thus having, as he re- 
marked, a clinch and a rivet to hold the nails. 

Shortcake (Strawberry) — how to make. — i. If one partakes of 
strawberry shortcake in half a dozen different cafes, it is likely that a 
different preparation will be served at each. The old-fashioned short- 
cake is in many cases replaced by a kind of confectionery, made with 
slices of cake (somewhat like pound-cake) covered with whipped 
cream, in which a few strawberries are imbedded^ This is quite un- 
like the real thing. Among the recipes for shortcake that have been 
tried, the following was preferred: Flour, one quart; butter, three 
tablespoonfuls; buttermilk (or rich sour milk), one large cupful; one 
^gS> white sugar (powdered), one tablespoonful; soda (dissolved in 
warm water, one teaspoonful; salt, one saltspoonful. Mix the salt 
and sugar with the flour; chop up the butter in the flour; add the o^^^ 
and soda to the milk and mix, handling as little as possible. Roll out 
lightly, lay one sheet of paste upon the other in a round tin; bake. 
While still warm, separate the cakes, and place between them a thick 
layer of strawberries, which should be abundantly sugared. Some 
place a layer of the fruit on the upper cake. It is eaten with sugar 
and cream. 

2. To make a nice strawberry shortcake, make a nice, rich biscuit 
crust, bake in a round tin, and when baked cut in two parts with a 
sharp knife; put a thick layer of berries, sweetened to taste, on one 
half, then lay on the other half and fix in the same manner. Some 
think a cup of sweet cream poured over the top layer a great addition. 
The berries should be mashed before placing them on the cake. 

Shot (Lead). — Lead shot are cast by letting the metal run through 
a narrow slit into a species of colander at the top of a lofty tower; 
the metal escapes in drops, which, for the most part, assume the 
spherical form before they reach the tank of water into which they fall 
at the foot of the tower, and this prevents their being bruised. They 
are afterward riddled or sifted for size, and afterward churned in a 
barrel with black lead. 

Sickness of Stomach — to relieve. — The following drink for re- 
lieving sickness of the stomach was introduced by Dr. Halahan, and 
is said to be very palatable and agreeable: " Beat up one q.%^ very 
well, say for twenty minutes, then add fresh milk, one pint; water, 
one pint; sugar, to make it palatable; boil, and let it cool; drink when 
cold. If it becomes curds and whey it is useless. 

Sick-room Hints. — A sick-room should be as far removed as pos- 
sible from a bath-room, or any large amount of plumbing. In case of 
a severe contagious disease the sick should be removed to the top of 
the house and the patient and nurse isolated from the rest of the fam- 
ily. A sunny room if possible should be chosen for the sick, as sun- 



4IO WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KN0 1^. 

light IS one of the best disinfectants known. It is desirable to have 
a^ little upholstered furniture about the sick-room as possible. The 
bed should always be placed where drafts cannot come, and so that 
the patient can be reached on either side. In cases of infectious dis- 
eases the clothing of the patient should be changed day and night, and 
the room should be swept in such a way as not to raise dust, at least 
every other day. The nurse should always wear clothing that can 
be washed. She should dress simply and neatly. An overdressed 
nurse irritates a sick person. A bustUng nurse is annoying. The 
nurse should be watchful, but never obtrusive. She should be care- 
ful that the temperature of the room does not go below sixty-eight or 
seventy degrees in the early morning hours, as at this time the powers 
of the body are at their lowest ebb. The greatest number of deaths 
occur between two and four A. M. Never use anything but light 
blankets to cover the sick. The heavy, impervious counterpane is 
bad, for the reason that it keeps the exhalations from the pores of 
the sick person, while the blanket allows them to pass through. 
Weak persons are invariably distressed by a great weight of bed- 
clothes, which often prevents their getting any sound sleep whatever. 

Sick-room Rules. — Keep the patient, and all about him, perfectly 
clean, and secure, as far as possible, pure air. The chamber should 
be ventilated at least once a day, or twice if it can be borne. The 
bedclothes should be carried out into the open air, if it is dry, if not, 
into the next room; and if the patient is unable to sit up meanwhile, 
let them be supplied by others. 

Keep the room quiet, and in perfect order. 

Let the sick be addressed in a gentle voice, and the conversation, 
if any is admitted, be pleasant and cheering. The nurse and friends 
should express sympathy with the sufferer, but at the same time seek 
to inspire courage, and patience to endure. 

All vials and powders should be labeled, to prevent fatal mistakes. 

The beds should be made at least once a day, and if the patient can 
bear it, twice. Carry the beds out into the open air, or if damp, into 
another room. ^ 

Keep the skin clean by daily ablutions ; change the garments fre^ 
quently, and rinse the mouth often. 

A nurse should be of a pleasant, agreeable, persuasive and even 
temper, with great patience to bear with the whims and unreasonable 
fretfulness that often appear in the sick. 

Never dispute with a very sick person, nor reprove him for any 
seeming inconsistency. Remember that he is hardly a responsible 
being. 

Silk — 'ways to clean. — i. Use potato-water for all colors and 
kinds; grate some potatoes into cold spring water, say a large potato 
to every quart of water, of which five or six will do for a couple of 
dresses. If for very light silk, pare the potatoes; if any way dark, 
merely wash them clean. The pan of water must not be stirred in 
the least for forty-eight hours; then very slowly and steadily pour off 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 411 

the clear liquor, but not a particle of the sediment, into an open ves- 
sel — a bath, or such like. Dip the pieces of silk into this liquid up 
and down a few times, without the least creasing them; then wipe 
them on a flat table with a clean towel, first one side and then the 
other. It is as well to hang each one as dipped upon a line, to allow 
the drops to drain off a little before wiping. Have a damp cloth to 
cover them in till they are done, then iron one way on the soiled 
side. It is astonishing to see how nice a dress looks done in this 
manner. 

2. Mix together a quarter of a pound of soft-soap, a teaspoonful of 
brandy and a pint of gin; mix all well together and strain through a 
cloth. With a sponge or flannel, spread the mixture on each side the 
silk without creasing it; wash it in two or three waters; while damp 
iron on the wrong side. This process will restore silks to their new- 
ness and will not injure the most delicate color. 

The Parisian method of cleaning black silk is very simple, and the 
result infinitely superior to that achieved in any other manner. The 
silk must be thoroughly brushed and wiped with a cloth, then laid 
flat on a board or table, and well sponged with hot coifee thoroughly 
freed from sediment by being strained through muslin. The silk is 
sponged on the side intended to show; it is allowed to become par- 
tially dry, and then ironed on the wrong side. The coffee removes 
every particle of grease and restores the brilliancy of silk without im- 
parting to it either the shiny appearance or crackly and papery stiff- 
ness obtained by beer, or, indeed, any other liquid. The silk really 
appears thickened by the process, and this good effect is permanent. 
Our readers who will experiment on an apron or cravat, will never 
again try any other method. 

Silk — to restore its color. — When the color of silk has been des- 
troyed by any strong acid, it may be restored by carefully wetting 
the spot with a strong soap lather, to which a little saleratus has been 
added. When the color has been taken out by fruit stains am- 
monia will restore it. 

Silk (Old) — to revive. — When silk has lost its gloss and become 
limpsy it may be restored by sponging with a solution of half an 
ounce of gum tragacanth in a pint of hot water. 

Siik (Black) — to renovate. — A little rock ammonia (bought at the 
druggist's) and a piece of common soda put into a bottle, and about 
half a pint of boiling water poured on to dissolve them ; then, when 
cold, sponge the silk with the liquid on the right side, and iron it on 
the wrong). This recipe wonderfully improves anything black, 
and is quite good for cloth, though, of course, that must not be 
ironed. 

Silk — to remove grease from. — Take a lump of magnesia and rub 
it wet over the spot; let it dry, then brush the powder off, and the 
spot will disappear; or, take a visiting card, separate it, and rub the 
spot with the soft internal part, and it will disappear without taking 
the gloss off the silk. 



412 WIIA T EVE J? V ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

Silk (Black) — to clean. — Sponge the black silk lightly, on both 
sides, with a perfectly clean sponge dipped in spirits of wine ; then, 
with a moderately warm iron, smooth the silk over on one side, not 
the side that will form the outside when remade. If the selvages 
are too tight to allow the silk to become smooth, they will require 
snipping at intervals. 

Silver (Counterfeit) — U. S. Mint test for. — Make a solution of 
twenty-four grains nitrate of silver, thirty drops nitric acid, and one 
ounce of water; scrape the coin to be tested and apply a drop of the 
liquid; if the coin turns black, reject it. 

Silver-plated Articles — "ways to clean. — i. White metal articles, 
electro-plated with silver, should be cleaned with the greatest cau- 
tion. The use of soap gives to the articles a leaden appearance. If 
tarnished, rub them with a little fine whiting, wet with water; then 
wash with clean, soft, warm water. Dry carefully, and polish with 
fine whiting on a piece of soft leather. 

2. The disagreeable discoloration of ^^^ can be readily taken from 
silver spoons by washing them in potato water — water in which pota- 
toes have been boiled. It is much better than salt, as it does not 
scratch the metal. The taste of fish may be removed very effectively 
from steel knives and forks by rubbing them with fresh orange or 
lemon peel. 

3. Save water in which potatoes have been Doiled with a little salt; 
let it become sour, which it will do in a few days; heat, and wash the 
articles with a woolen cloth, rinsing in pure water; dry and poliS;h 
with chamois leather. Never allow a particle of soap to touch silver 
or plated ware. 

4. Silverware may be kept bright and clean by coating the articles 
(warmed) with a solution of collodion diluted with alcohol. 

Silver (Polished) — to frost. — Cyanide of potassium, one ounce; 
dissolved in one-half pint of water. Do not hold the silver in your 
hands, but use pliers made of lance wood or box wood, and apply 
the mixture with a brush to the polished surface. 

Silvering Hooks and Eyes, etc. — The small iron articles are sus- 
pended in dilute sulphuric acid until the iron shows a bright clean 
surface. After rinsing in pure water they are placed in a bath of a 
mixed solution of sulphate of zinc, sulphate of copper and cyanide of 
potassium, and there remain until they receive a bright coating of 
brass. Lastly, they are transferred to a bath of nitrate of silver, 
cyanide of potassium and sulphate, of soda, in which they quickly re- 
ceive a coating of silver. 

Silver-plating — method. — Put eight silver shillings into two 
ounces of nitric acid. When the silver disappears, throw into it a 
pint of water and four ounces of common salt. The salt will throw 
down a powder, which is pure silver. Now decant off the water and 
repeat the same washings till all the effects of the salt shall have dis- 
appeared. Now add to this white powder two ounces of cyanide 
of potassium, and three ounces of hyposulphate of soda. Now add 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 413 

to all this two quarts of pure rain water, and your silver mixture is 
complete. 

Now you may do, by the aid of this mixture, all sorts of plating — 
watch-chains, rings, medals, watches, ornaments, steel, iron and 
German silver goods of every description, as spoons, spectacles, 
etc. 

Hang any of these articles in the solution, suspended at the end of 
a strip of lead, or you can immerse the article and boil it ten or 
twenty minutes, according to the thickness of the silvering that you 
desire. If the articles to be plated are clean, a pure and durable 
silver surface will be the result. 

Silvering Shells. — Of silver leaf and gum-water take a sufficient 
quantity; grind to a proper thickness, and cover the inside of the 
•shells. For a gold color, grind up gold-leaf with gum-water, and 
'apply to the inside of the shells. 

Silver — to give luster to. — Dissolve a quantity of alum in water 
so as to make a pretty strong brine, and skim it carefully; then add 
some soap to it, and dip a linen rag in it, and rub over the silver. 

Silvering on Mirrors — to repair. — Pour upon a sheet of tin-foil 
three drams of quicksilver to the square foot of foil. Rub smartly 
with a piece of buckskin until the foil becomes brilliant. Lay the 
glass upon a fiat table, face downward, place the foil upon the dam- 
;aged portion of the glass, lay a sheet of paper of the foil, and place 
"upon it a block of wood or a piece of marble with a perfectly flat 
surface; put upon it sufficient weight to press it down tight; let it 
remain in this position a few hours. The foil will adhere to the 
glass. 

Silver Solution — for plating German silver, copper, brass, etc. — 
Take three ounces nitric acid, put it in a bottle, and add one American 
twenty-five cent piece, cut fine. Let it dissolve. Add three ounces 
quicksilver. Let it dissolve. And two quarts rain water, and it is 
ready for use. Directions for use: Immerse the article to be plated 
in the solution. Let it remain a few minutes. Now rub gently with 
a piece of sponge wet with the solution, and polish with buckskin. 
The thickness of the plate may be increased by repeating. 

Silver — to -write in. — Mix one ounce of the finest pewter or block 
tin and two ounces of quicksilver together, till both become fluid, 
then grind it with gum-water and write with it. The writing will 
then look as if done with silver,. 

Sizing for Boots and Shoes in Treeing Out, — Water, one quart; 
dissolve in it, by heat, isinglass, one ounce; adding more water to 
replace loss by evaporation; when dissolved, add gtarch, six ounces; 
extract of logwood, beeswax, and tallow, of each two ounces. Rub 
the starch up first by pouring on sufficient boiling water for that pur- 
pose. It makes boots and shoes soft and pliable, and gives a splen- 
did appearance to old stock on the shelves. 

Skate-bags. — A variety of materials can be used, such as gray 
Holland, trimmed with braid; take a piece a little longer than the 



414 ^VHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

skates, and twice the width of a pair. Fold and make into a bag, 
and bind it all around; line with flannel to match the braid, letting it 
come about an inch above the bag, and hem over, to make a 
shir at the top. Run a double draw-string of braid in this shir, and 
the bag is done, A very pretty bag can be made of canvas, with 
" Skate-bag" Avorked in the center. 

Skirt — for a child. — A good way to utilize ribbed socks when the 
feet are past wearing, is to cut the legs off straight above the heel, 
open up the back, sew, or crochet, enough of them together to give 
width for child's skirt, making shell trimming for the bottom, and 
sewing into a bank at the waist. These are warm, durable, and 
pretty, and little trouble to make. 

Slaugh (Kohl) — to make. — One head of cabbage minced fine, two 
hard-boiled eggs, two tablespoonfuls of salad oil, two tablespoonfuls 
of white sugar, one and one-half teaspoonfuls of salt, one teaspoon- 
ful of pepper and made mustard, one teaspoonful of vinegar; mix all 
together thoroughly. 

Sleep — how to obtain. — I venture to suggest a new but simple 
remedy for want of sleep. Opiates in any form, even the liquor opii 
sedat and chloroform will leave traces of their influence the next 
morning. I therefore prescribe for myself — and have frequently done 
so for others — onions; simply common onions, raw, but Spanish 
onions, stev^red, will do. Everybody knows the taste of onions; this 
is due to a peculiar essential oil contained in thi^ most valuable and 
healthy root. This oil has, I am sure, highly soporific powers. In 
my own case they never fail. If I am much pressed with work and 
feel I shall not sleep, I eat two or three small onions, and the effect 
is magical. Onions are also excellent things to eat when much ex- 
posed to intense cold. Finally, if a person cannot sleep, it is because 
the blood is in the brain, not in the stomach. The remedy, therefore, 
is obvious. Call the blood down from the brain to the stomach. This 
is to De done by eating a biscuit, a hard-boiled egg, a bit of bread and 
cheese, or something. Follow this up with a glass of milk, or even 
water, and you will fall asleep, and will I trust, bless the name of the 
writer. 

Sleeplessness — remedy for. — i. A cup of hot Indian gruel, taken 
at the moment of retiring, will make the nervous tension cease, oc- 
cupies the stomach, and the brain rests. Eat a light supper before it. 
Two teaspoonfuls of Indian meal, one of flour; wet only to a smooth 
paste. Pour boiling water slowly upon it, beating it as you pour. 
Salt it, and boil half an hour. It can be made while tea is getting, 
and warmed over fhe gas at bedtime. 

2, For sleeplessness a high London authority recommends, instead 
of stimulants, a breakfastcupful of hot beef tea, made from half a 
teaspoonful of Liebig's extract. It alias's brain excitement. 

3, A glass of milk taken on going to bed at night sometimes assists 
in overcoming sleeplessness. In the New York Inebriate Asylum a 



IVIIA T E VER V ONE SIIO ULD KNO W. 41 5 

glass of milk is frequently administered at bedtime to produce sleep, 
and the result is often satisfactory, without the use of medicine. 

4. It is not necessary to go to the bromide or chloral bottle to 
make sleep. Tying the head firmly in a large handkerchief or fine 
towel (or clean long stocking), turban fashion will bring it. The nerve 
strain is lessened in some way, and thought is not concentrated on 
any present matter. Naturally sleep comes after this. 

5. A rubber bag of hot water at the feet, or other warm or gently' 
irritating application, will often so draw doAvn the blood from the 
excited brain that one will soon fall into a quiet ^leep. Ten to twenty 
drops of aromatic spirits of ammonia swallowed in half a tumbler of 
water on going to bed, or when restless or wakeful during the night, 
will very often put one into an easy slumber. It is quickly absorbed 
into the blood, and carried to every part of the body, producing a 
gentle stimulus. This calls the blood to every point, equalizing the 
circulation, and thus relieving the before excited brain. 

Sleep — necessary rules for. — There is no fact more clearly es- 
tablished in the physiology of man than this, that the brain expends 
its energies and itself during the hours of wakefulness, and that these 
are recuperated during sleep. If the recuperation does not equal the 
expenditure, the brain withers; this is insanity. Thus it is in early 
history, persons who were condemned to death by being pre- 
vented from sleeping always died raving maniacs, and those who are 
starved to death become insane; the brain is not nourished and they 
cannot sleep. The practical inferences are three : 

1. Those who think most, who do the most brain work, require the 
most sleep. 

2. The time "saved" from necessary sleep is infallibly destructive 
to mind, body and estate. 

3. Give yourself, your children, your servants, give all that are 
under you, the fulle'^t amount of sleep they will take, by compelling 
them to go to bed at some regular early hour, and to rise in the 
morning at the moment they awake, and, within a fortnight. Nature, 
with almost the regularity of the rising sun, will unloose the bonds of 
sleep the moment enough repose has been secured for the wants of 
the system. This is the only safe and eflScient rule. 

Slugs on Plants — to destroy. — i. Any choice plants may be pre- 
served from the ravages of slugs by placing a few pieces of garlic 
near them. No slugs will approach the smell of garlic. Fruit-trees 
may be protected from slugs by tying a piece of hair-line, or binding 
a bit of hair-cloth round their stems; if the trees are against the wall, 
the hair-line should be fastened all along the bottom of the wall close 
to, the bfickwork, and no slugs can pass it. 

2. Greenhouse slugs often become a nuisance in the greenhouse. 
A certain remedy is to sprinkle salt freely along the edges of the 
bench or table, the crossing of which is sure death to the slug. 

3. Slugs are very voracious, and their ravages often do consider- 
able damage, not only to the kitchen-garden, but to the flower-beds 



4i6 IFI/A T EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

also. If, now and then, a few slices of turnip be put about the beds, 
on a summer or autumnal evening, the slugs will congregate thereon, 
and may be destroyed. 

Small-pox — cure for. — A physician writes: I am willing to risk 
my reputation as a public man, if the worst case of small-pox cannot 
be cured in three days simply by cream of tartar. This is a never- 
failing remedy: One ounce of cream of tartar, dissolved in one pint 
,of boiling water, to be taken when cold. Dose, two tablespoonfuls 
every two hours. It is also a preventive; dose, as before, three times 
a day. It has cured thousands, never leaves a mark, never causes 
blindness, and avoids tedious lingering. 

Small-pox — remedies. — i. A correspondent writes: Appended is 
a recipe which has, to my certain knowledge, been used successfully 
in hundreds of cases. It will prevent or cure the small-pox, though 
the pittings are filling. It is as unfailing as fate, and conquers in 
every instance. It is harmless when taken by a well person. It will 
also cure scarlet fever. Here is a recipe: Sulphate of zinc, one 
grain; foxglove (digitalis), one grain; half a teaspoonful of water. 
When mixed, add four ounces of water, and take a tablespoonful 
every hour. Either disease will disappear in twelve hours. For a 
child, smaller doses according to age. If counties would compel 
their physicians to use it, they would need no pest-houses. If you 
value advise and experience, use this for that terrible disease. 

2. A child nine years old was effectually cured of small-pox by ad- 
ministering fifteen grains sodae sulphice dissolved in milk, sweetened, 
every three hours. The entire body was oiled with crude petroleum 
applied by hand. Next morning the eruption was killed and dry, 
and the disease broken up. To prevent pitting with small-pox, as 
soon as the disease is distinguished, apply an ointment made of lard 
and charcoal to the face, neck, hands, etc., and continue until all 
signs of supperative fever has ceased. One case is worthy of notice, 
being that of a gentleman who suffered terribly for many days with 
this dreadful disease. Everything was done for him that medical skill 
could suggest, without giving the slightest relief. Finally, as a last 
resort, he was removed from the bed and placed in a warm bath; the 
transition was so soothing and delightful that he exclaimed: "Oh, 
my God, I thank Thee for this great relief] " In a short time he fell 
sound asleep in the bath, and continued in this position for many 
hours, the water being renewed from time to time to keep up the tem- 
perature. The cure proved to be immediate and permanent. Noth- 
ing is so conducive to health of body, and the eradication of disease 
therefrom, as the intelligent use of pure water. Sir Astley Cooper, 
being complimented on one occasion for his great skill, remarked, 
that he had 'made mistakes enough to fill a graveyard," but it is 
scarcely possible to make a mistake with water, as no diseased per- 
son can fail to derive benefit from its use. 

Small-pox — to prevent pitting. — When the pustules begin their 
intolerable itching I keep them moistened with iodized collodion, 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 417 

spread on with a camel's-hair brush. This allays the irritation at 
once, and the pustules fall off rapidly, leaving not a trace of pitting 
behind. The preparation is made as follows: Compound sulphate 
ether and alcohol, ninety-five degrees, equal parts; bromide potas- 
sium and iodide potassium, each five grains to the ounce; pyroxylon, 
one and one-half grains to the ounce. 

Smelling Bottles — to fill. — Take equal parts of sal-ammoniac, 
crushed to a coarse powder, and pearl-ash, mixed together, and per- 
fume it with two or three drops of some essential oil, like neroli, or 
lavender. Strength is increased by holding the bottle in the warm 
hand. Concentrated acetic acid can be used instead of salts of ammo- 
nia, and then the bottle should be first filled with a few crystals of 
sulphurate of potash, and some small bits of sponge moistened with 
the acid, and the perfume can be dropped upon them. 

Smelling Salts, — Sub-carbonate of ammonia, eight parts; put it in 
coarse powder in a bottle, and pour on it oil of lavender, one part; 
mix. 

Smilax — ho"w to grow. — Smilax is an exceedingly graceful vine 
with glossy, green-ribbed leaves, and is now more extensively used 
than any other plant for decorating parlors, the hair, and for trim- 
ming dresses. With a little care it can be grown successfully as a 
house plant. The vine does not require the full sun, but will grow 
well in a partially shaded situation. It can be trained on a small 
thread across the window or around the pictures. Grown from both 
seeds and bulbs. Pot the bulbs as soon as received, watering but 
little until you see signs of growth. They grow very rapidly and 
should always have strings to twine on. Give plenty of fresh air, 
but be careful and not let a direct draft of cold air blow upon the 
vines, as they are very tender when young. Give them a warm 
place and they will amply repay all care. When growth is complete 
the foliage will turn yellow. Then gradually withhold water and al- 
low the bulbs to dry. They then can be put in some cool, dry place. 
After they have been in this dormant state six or eight weeks they 
will begin to show signs of life, and then are ready for another 
season's growth. 

Smilax — for a curtain. — Last season I slipped some smilax out of 
a small pot into a box which I set on a shelf that was on the outside 
of a south window. This shelf was eight inches below the top of the 
window-sill. The box was six inches deep, and so was a little lower 
than the sill. With a red-hot poker I burned a row of holes around 
the sides of the box, and filled it with a light, rich soil. When the 
plant was fully established and had sent up nice thrifty sprouts, I 
drove nine small nails along the top of the window-paiie, and slipped 
on to them the looped up ends of a fine cord; the other ends of the 
cord were tied each to a nail which was stuck in the box by the 
sprout it was intended to support. The vines grew rapidly, and in a 
few weeks' time had reached the top of the windov/; a week or two 
more, and the ends were drooping down from the top, thus forming a 



418 WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

graceful valance to my beautiful curtains — a curtain tarmore beautiful 
than any made by mortal hand could every be. In October, when the 
ni,t>hts were g-rowini< frosty, I sli[>ped the looped ends of the cords 
that supported the vines off the nails, and placed the box with the vine 
on a stand on the inside of the window and slipped the loops over 
nails, and so, without any trouble at all, had my window adorned with 
this lovely vine until Christmas. This vine sq airily lii^ht, and so 
graceful, is peculiarly appropriate for the adornment of thin evening 
dresses, and as lovely for the hair. 

Snake Bites — cure for. — The inspector of police in the Bengal 
government reports that of nine hundred and thirty-nine cases in 
which ammonia was freely administered, two hundred and seven 
victims have recovered, and in the cured instances the remedy was 
not administered till about three and a half hours after the attack; on 
the average of the fatal cases the corresponding duration of time was 
^our and a half hours. 

Snow Balis (Apple). — Take half a dozen large apples (Rhode 
Island greenings are the best for the purpose). Pare these, and re- 
move tile cores carefully with a corer, that they may not be broken. 
Place in the hollow of each a large spoonful of sugar, together with 
a small piece of butter, and a little grated nutmeg, or, if preferred, a 
little grated rind of a lemon. Have boiled in milk a cupful of rice, 
which should be only about half cooked. Take six cloths large 
enough to enclose the apple, with room to tie. Now spread the rice 
upon these and tie them firmly around each apple; then plunge them 
into boiling water, and let them boil gently for three-quarters of an 
hour, or till done. Remove the cloths, and serve either with a little 
sweet sauce or with sifted white sugar strewn thickly over them. 

Snow Water. — to prevent from penetrating shoes. — This simple 
and effectual remedy is nothing more than a little beeswax antl mut- 
ton suet, warmed in a pipkin until in a liquid state. Then rub some 
of it lightly over the edges of the sole where the stitches are, which 
will repel the wet, and not in the least prevent the blacking from hav- 
ing the usual effect. 

Snuff (Cephalic) — Take asarbacca leaves, marjoram, light Scotch 
snuff, ecjual parts; grind and sift; use like ccnnmon snuff. 

Soap — to manufacture. — When wood ashes cannot conveniently 
be had, it is usual for soap manufacturers to use equal quantities of 
recently slakeil lime, and sal-soda, soda ash or caustic soda, using wa- 
ter enough to give the lye sufficient strength to support a fresh egg. 
It must be very strong. The solution can be effected by heat, or stir- 
ring, or by both methods, finally drawing off, or bailing out the liquid 
clear of sediment, previously throwing in salt and giving time for the 
sediment to settle; one ton of yellow soap will require one thousand 
pounds tallow and three hundred and fifty pouiuls resin, with lye 
sufficient. The same amount of white soap will require nearly one 
thousand three hundred pounds of tallow., boiling in every case with 
the proper quantity of lye, until it forms a perfectly homogenous 



WHA T E VER V DATE SHO ULD KNO W. 419 

mass by a perfect blending of the component parts all together, 
when it is poured out into suitable frames to harden and cool. It is 
afterward cut up into proper sized bars by means of wires to which 
handles are attached, and then piled up to dry. 

Soap (Almond). — Best white tallow soap, fifty pounds; essence of 
bitter almonds, twenty ounces; melt by the aid of a steam or water 
bath. 

Soap-bubbles — to make, — Prepare some soap-smls, and let me 
tell you how you can make splendid soap-bubbles which will last for 
hours. Dissolve one part of soap in forty parts of water; put this 
soap solution into a bottle and add about two-thirds the quantity of 
glycerine, and shake up vigorously. Then allow the bottle to stand 
for some time, when the liquid will have separated into layers, the 
upper of which is to be poured off, and the clear underlayer kept for 
blowing bubbles. Now for our experiment. Dip a brass curtain- 
ring into soap-suds or the above solution, so as to get a Aim over it, 
and when the color begins to appear on the edge of fdm, if you hold 
up the ring before your face and sing any of the vowels or all of 
them, one after another, near it, it will show beautiful rippling pat- 
terns of color, which differ with the different sounds. 

Soap (Erasive). — Genuine erasive soap that will remove grease 
and stains from clothing is made as follows: Two pounds of good 
castile soap, half a pound of carbonate of potash, dissolved in half a 
pint of hot water. Cut the soap in thin slices, and boil with potash 
until it is thick enough to mold in cakes. Add alcohol, half an ounce; 
camphor, half an ounce; hartshorn, half an ounce. Color with an 
ounce or pulverized charcoal. 

Soap (English Bar). — Six gallons soft water; six pounds good stone 
lime; twenty pounds sal-soda; four ounces borax; fifteen pounds fat 
(tallow is best); ten pounds pulverized resin, and four ounces of bees- 
wax; put the water in a kettle on the fire, and when nearly boiling 
add the lime and soda; when these are dissolved, add the borax; boil 
gently, and stir until all is dissolved; then add the fat, resin, and 
beeswax; boil all gently until it shows flaky on the stick, then pour 
into molds. 

Soap (Hard) — for common use. — i. Three pails of good soft 
soap, one pound of resin, one pound of borax, and two and a half 
quarts of salt; put in a kettle, and let it just boil; then set in a cool 
place over night; it will rise like tallow, and can be cut in pieces; the 
longer it is dried, the better it keeps the hands soft, and lasts well. 
Those who study economy will like it. 

2. Six pounds of washing soda, three pounds of unslaked lime; 
put together and pour on four gallons of boiling water; let it stand 
until clear; then drain off and put in six pounds of clean fat, and boil 
until it hardens (about two hours) over a slow fire. While boiling 
add two gallons of cold water which you have poured on the alkaline 
mixture, letting this also settle before using. Add when there is 
danger of boiling over. Try the consistency by cooling a little on a 



420 IVHA T E VER V ONE SHOULD KNO W. 

plate. Put in a handful of salt just before taking from the fire. It 
may be poured into a wet tub, but I prefer to mold in deep earthen 
dishes. Cut in bars and put on a board to dry. Do not let it freeze 
while dryin<^. This makes forty pounds, and is especially nice for 
rough hands. 

3. Two and one-half pounds of unslaked lime, to which pour six 
quarts of boiling water; two and a half pounds of sal-soda, to which 
pour six quarts of boiling water. Let it stand until the sal-soda is 
dissolved. Then pour the sal-soda water into the lime and water and 
let it stand twenty-four hours. Then pour off the liquid and add two 
pounds of grease and one-fourth pound of resin. Boil one hour and 
pour into molds to cool. Perfume as you please. 

Soap (Camphor). — Curd soap, twenty-eight pounds; attar of rose- 
mary, one and one-fourth pounds. Reduce the camphor to powder; 
add one ounce almond oil; then sift it; when the soap is melted and 
ready to turn out, add the camphor and rosemary. 

Soap (White Windsor). — Curd soap, one hundred pounds; marine 
soap, twenty-one pounds; oil soap, fourteen pounds; oil caraway, 
one and one-half pounds, oil thyme and rosemary, of each, half a 
pound; oil of cassia and cloves, of each, one-fourth pound. 

Soap (Brown Windsor). — Curd soap, seventy-five pounds; marine 
soap, twenty-five pounds; yellow soap, twenty-five pounds; oil soap, 
twenty-five pounds. Brown coloring (caramel), one-half pint; oils car- 
away, cloves, thyme, cassia, petit grain and French lavender, of each, 
two ounces. 

Soap (Sand). — Curd soap, seven pounds; marine soap, seven 
pounds; sifted silver sand, twenty-eight pounds; oils thyme, cassia, 
caraway and French lavender, of each, two ounces. 

Soap (Soft) — to make. — To one pound of potash add three gallons 
of water; boil the potash until it is dissolved; then add three pounds 
of any kind of soap grease, the cleaner the better, to the lye, and set 
it to boiling. Let it boil slowly so that it will not boil over. It us- 
ually becomes soap after boiling from one to five hours. If it boils 
down before it becomes soap, add sufficient water to keep the same 
quantity in the kettle until it is soap; then add nine gallons of water 
and stir well together; when cool this will be abeautiful white soap, if 
the grease w^as clean. 

Soap — to save. — Make a small square bag of flannel, leaving one 
end partly open. In this put all the remains of soap as the pieces 
become too small to handle easily. When the bag is filled, baste up 
the opening, and it makes a good bath-tub arrangement. 

Soap (Toilet). — Take two pounds of pure beef tallow, two pounds 
of sal-soda, one pound of salt, one ounce of gum camphor, one ounce 
of oil of bergamot, one ounce of borax; boil slowly an hour; stir 
often; let it stand till cold; then warm it over, so it will run easily, 
and turn into cups or molds, dipped in cold water. This is very nice 
for toilet purposes, and is greatly improved by age. 

Soap (Transparent). — Slice six pounds nice yellow bar-soap into 



WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 421 

shavings; put into a brass, tin or copper kettle, with alchohol, one- 
half gallon, heating gradually over a slow fire, stirring till all is dis- 
solved; then add one ounce sassafras essence, and stir until all is 
mixed; now pour into pans about one and one-half inches deep, and 
when cold cut into square bars the length or width of the pan, as de- 
sired. 

Soap (White Hard) — with tallow. — Fresh slaked lime, sal-soda, 
and tallow, of each, two pounds; dissolve the soda in one gallon 
boiling soft water; now mix in the lime, stirring occasionally for a 
few hours; after which, let it settle, pouring off the clear liquor, and 
boiling the tallow therein until it is all dissolved; cool it in a flat box 
or pan, cut into bars or cakes as desired. It may be perfumed with 
sassafras, oil or any other perfume desired, stirring it in when cool. 
One hundred pounds soap, very cheap: Potash, six pounds; lard, 
four pounds; resin, one-fourth pound. Beat up the resin, mix all 
together, and set aside for five days; then put the whole into a ten 
gallon cask of water, and stir twice a day for ten days, when it is 
ready for use. 

Soap — what to do with waste pieces. — Cut the pieces into small 
bits and cover them with water. Place them upon the range, where 
they will gradually dissolve into a jelly-like paste; add a little per- 
fume. When thoroughly dissolved, pour into a square-sided pan, 
and when cold, cut into cakes. 

Soap (Yankee Shaving). — Take three pounds of white bar-soap; 
one pound castile soap; one quart rain water; one-half pint beef's 
gall; one gill spirits of turpentine. Cut the soap into thin slices, and 
boil five minutes after the soap is dissolved; stir while boiling; scent 
with oil of rose or almonds. If wished to color it, use one-half 
ounce vermilion. 

Soda (Cream). — To one gallon of water, add five pounds of loaf 
sugar, one ounce Epsom salts, one ounce cream tartar, and five 
ounces tartaric acid. Boil the preparation well, skimming off the ref- 
use matter accumulating upon the surface. After cooling, set it 
away in bottles in a cool place. When desiring soda drinks, put two 
or three tablespoonfuls of this syrup into a tumbler two-thirds full of 
water; add one-fourth of a teaspoonful of super-carbonate of soda; 
stir briskly, and the effervescence will be equal to that from fountain 
soda. The Epsom salts, cream of tartar, tartaric acid, and super- 
carbonate of soda, can be purchased for a small sum at any drug- 
store. 

Sofa Piilo'w — to make. — i. A lovely sofapillov/ is made of a square 
of pale-blue satin embroidered or painted. Use this for the center of 
the pillow, and at the top and bottom put bands of terra-cotta plush, 
and at the side old-gold plush. Sew all the seams together on the 
wrong side, and at the right side finish in herring-bone stitch with 
colored embroidery silk; edge with a short silk fringe. Cover the 
under side of the pillow with pale-blue sateen, and then put on the 
top covering, and you will have a beautiful sofa pillow. 



422 WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

2.. When one cannot embroider, or does not wish to give the time 
to it, a very pretty substitute for it is found in applique. Get the fine, 
nice cretonne, with bright colored flowers. Cut these out and baste 
upon your foundation, which may be of satin, silk, plush or sateen. 
Hem them down with fine cotton, and then embroider them down, 
selecting carefully the silks that match with the flowers. Use the 
button-hole stitch for that purpose. Make the stems with the silk 
rather than those of the calico. The effect, when completed, is as 
handsome as painting, and more durable. 

Solder — to apply. — Moisten the parts to be united with soldering 
fluid; then, having joined them together, lay a small piece of solder 
upon the joint and hold over your lamp, or direct the blaze upon it 
with your blow-pipe until fusion is apparent. Withdraw them from 
the blaze immediately, as too much heat will render the solder brittle 
and unsatisfactory. When the parts to be joined can be made to 
spring or press against each other, it is best to place a thin piece of 
solder between them before exposing to the lamp. Where two smooth 
surfaces are to be soldered one upon the other, you may make an ex- 
cellent job by moistening them with the fluid, and then, having placed 
a sheet of tin foil between them, holding them pressed firmly together 
over your lamp till the foil melts. If the surfaces fit nicely, a joint 
may be made in this way so close as to be almost imperceptible. The 
bright looking lead which comes as a lining to tea boxes works better 
in the same way than tin foil. 

Soil for Plants. — Knowing that nearly every lady in the city finds 
it hard to get manure of the right quality for her plants, I thought this 
suggestion might be of some use to them. Gather up the falling leaves 
and put them in an old box, or in some obscure corner where they 
will not have to be removed. After getting all you want, pile them in 
as close quarters as possible, then throw on them all of your dish- 
water, wash-water, or any water that will help to make them rot. 
Every week or two take a stick and turn the leaves over, and keep 
on doing this until they are all rotten, which they will be in a short 
time, and you will have as good a manure as any florist could want. 
If you could get the droppings from a cow and put them in an old 
dish and pour water on them; let it stand for a day or two; then lake 
the liquid and pour it around the roots of the plant; it will give it a 
dark green color and make it grow very fast; but in putting the last 
named on the roots do not let any get on the leaves. As nearly every 
lady has some plant which they cannot pot, from its large size, they 
would be very glad to know of some way in which they can enrich 
the soil without going to the trouble of taking the plant out of the pot. 
By putting the liquid on every month it will make the soil nearly as 
rich and do the plant as much good as if they had put it in rich soil. 
Fine charcoal is excellent to mix v/ith the soil when potting plants, 
or to sprinkle on the surface of the soil of those already potted. It 
stimulates the growth of the plants and deepens the colors. Iron 
filings from a blacksmith or machine shop worked into the soil for 



WIIA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 423 

plants, will add greatly also to the rich and bright color of the flowers. 

Solid Iron Columns. — Solid iron columns are stronger than hollow 
iron columns of the same diameter; but the same weight of metal that 
is contained in the solid column, if it were put into the form of a 
hollow column, would be much stronger than the solid column. 

Solder for Brazing Steel. — Very useful in case of a valve-stem or 
other light portion breaking when it is important that the engine 
should continue work for some time longer: Silver, nineteen parts; 
copper, one part; brass, two parts. If practicable, charcoal dust 
should be strewed over the melted metal of the crucible. 

Soot — a good fertilizer. — Save the soot that falls from the chim- 
neys when the latter are cleaned. Twelve quarts of soot to a hogs- 
head of water makes good liquid manure, to be applied to the roots of 
plants, or a less quantity in the proportion of a pint of soot to a pail- 
ful of water will make a liquid manure of the greatest value for 
flower-beds and plants of all kinds. 

Sore Mouth in a Horse. — If caused by ragged teeth, they should 
be filed off. If nothing of the kind is found, sponge the mouth with 
a strong decoction of sage leaves, in which alum is dissolved. A few 
applications of this will probably be effective. It might be advisable 
to feed the mare upon cut hay or fodder moistened and mixed 
with bran and meal, a little linseed-meal being given as a gentle lax- 
ative. 

Sores (Old) — treatment. — Strict cleanliness, normal bowels, and 
vegetable alteratives are the only curative measures. 

Sore Throat — remedy for. — "Simple, cheap, and sure," is the 
verdict of one who has tried the following remedy for a sore throat : 
The necessary drugs are an ounce of camphorated oil and five cents 
worth of chlorate of potash. Whenever any soreness appears in the 
throat, put the potash in half a tumbler of water, and with it gargle 
the throat thoroughly; then rub the neck thoroughly with the cam- 
phorated oil at night before going to bed, and also pin around the 
throat a small strip of woolen flannel. 

Soup (Bean). — Put a quart of dried white beans soaking the night 
before you make this soup, which should be put on to boil soon after 
breakfast the ensuing forenoon. Take two pounds of fresh beef, cut 
it in pieces, and put them with the bones belonging to them, and a 
pound of bacon cut fine, into your soup pot. Season with pepper 
only, and pour on three quarts of soft water. When it boils, remove 
the scum, and put in the beans. Then boil slowly until the meat is 
cooked into shreds and the beans are all in fragments, after which 
strain through a colander into the tureen, season with salt and sauce, 
and add small squares of toasted bread. 

Soup Made of Boiled Codfish. — Remove the skin and bones from 
cold boiled codfish, and rub it through a very fine colander or a wire 
sieve with a potato masher; one cupful will be sufficient for two 
quarts of soup. Put two tablespoonfuls each of flour and butter in a 
saucepan, set it over the fire, and stir with a wooden paddle until the 



424 ^^^ffA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W, 

flour and butter are smoothly blended; gradually add one quart each 
of boiling water and milk, stirring all the time until the mixture is 
free from lumps and reaches the boiling point; then stir in the fish, 
season the soup palatably with salt, pepper and grated nutmeg, using 
about two teaspoonfuls of salt and quarter of a teaspoonful of 
grated nutmeg. Let the soup boil gently for a couple of minutes and 
then serve it. If it stands before servmg long enough to grow thicker 
than rich cream, use a little hot milk to thin it. Any cold fish may 
be used in the same way. 

Soup (Cod's Head.) — Take a cod's head; wash it well, and put it 
on to boil with cold water and a little salt. When sufficiently boiled, 
take it out and cut off all the eatable parts of the head and set them 
aside. Return the bones and trimmings into the pan and boil them 
for at least an hour; then strain the soup through a colander to keep 
out the bones, and put it again into the pan. Take a pint of milk 
and stir it into a cupful of fiour until quite smooth ; add this to the 
soup while boiling and stir it well. Then add a small piece of butter 
and the pieces of fish that were cut off. Season with salt and white 
pepper to taste, and boil all together slowly for about ten minutes. 
A little minced parsley is a great improvement. This is a most deli- 
cious and nourishing soup. 

Soup (Cracker) — for invalids. — Pour very hot milk over a bowl 
of crackers, season with butter, salt and pepper. 

Soup for Invalids. — Raw beef, on account of its ready digestibil- 
ity, is often prescribed for invalids. Of late, European physicians 
have found the use of what we may call raw soup of great utility 
when given to patients much reduced by fevers. This soup, first pro- 
posed by Liebig, is made from finely chopped beef or fowl, recently 
killed. Half a pound of this meet is added to a pint and a half of 
distilled water (pure rain Water, filtered, will answer), four drops of 
pure muriatic acid are added, and a teaspoonful of salt, or enough to 
suit the taste. After standing an hour, the whole is thrown upon a 
hair sieve (a flannel bag will do as well) to separate the liquid. If 
the first liquid which passes through is muddy, it is poured back into 
the strainer until what runs off is quite clear. When the liquid ceases 
to run, half a pint of water is added, in small quantities at a time, 
to the flesh in the strainer. The yield will be about a pint of a red- 
dish colored liquid, tasting like soup, which is to be given cold, a cup- 
ful at a time, or in such quantities as the patient desires. It is claimed 
that this soup contains the nutritive principles of the meat not changed 
by heat, as they are in cooking, and that they are in part ready di- 
gested by the muriatic acid, and that it is suited to the weakest diges- 
tive organs. If the red color and somewhat fleshy odor are objected 
to. the one may be disguised by caramel (burnt sugar) and the other 
by a little wine. The soup spoils readily, and in warm weather rhust 
be kept on ice. 

Soup (Macaroni). — Four quarts of cold water, three pounds of 
coarse, lean beef (cut into thin slips), two or three pounds of bones 



WBA. T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO JV. 425 

(broken small), four onions (sliced), one bunch sweet herbs (chopped), 
tomato juice or catsup, one-half pound of macaroni, a few salt pork 
bones. Fry the meat until half done, in a very little drippings. Take 
it out and fry the onions and bones in the same gravy. Put all into 
a soup-kettle with the herbs, and cover with four quarts of cold water. 
Bring to a slow boil, and at the end of four hours strain into a great 
bowl to coo!, in order that the fat may rise and be taken off. Mean- 
while, make ready your macaroni by breaking it into short bits, cov- 
ering well with boiling water, a little salted, and stewing slowly 
twenty minutes, or until tender. Add a lump of butter the size of a 
walnut; let it stand, covered, for a few minutes, while you season 
the soup, adding the tomato juice or catsup. Boil, skim, and thicken 
with a tablespoonful of corn starch wet with cold water. When it is 
again on the boil, turn in the macaroni, taking care not to break it. 
Heat to scalding, but do not boil; pour out, and serve. 

Soup (Milk). — Wash, pare, slice and parboil one pound of pota- 
toes, pour away the water; skin and scald two onions, diop them, 
place the potatoes, onions, one teaspooni'ul of salt and half a tea- 
spoonful of pepper in a stew-pan, with one quart of cold water ; 
bring to a boil, and boil till quite soft (about half an hour); crush the 
potatoes and onions with a spoon till smooth, add one quart of new 
milk and one ounce of crushed sago; stir continually till it boils, then 
boil for ten minutes. This soup may be made richer by adding one 
ounce of butter or drippings to the quart of cold water; also, by put- 
ting a yolk of an egg, well beaten, into the tureen, and mixing the 
cooked soup slowly with it. The soup must be off the boil or the 
egg will curdle 

Soup (Noodle). — One even pint cup of flour, two eggs, no salt, 
and water enough to make a stiff dough. Mix well; divide the dough 
in three equal parts; roll each piece until about a sixteenth part of an 
inch thick; place on a table covered with a cloth to dry. When dried 
sufficient to prevent sticking together, cut into strips three inches 
wide, place them on top of each other; then with a sharp knife shave 
into strips an eight of an inch wide; toss them with the hands until 
each strip is separate. Have ready three quarts of good, rich beef 
or chicken broth boiling, stir the broth while you scatter in the 
noodles^ let them come to a boil when the noodles will- come to the 
surface, remove from the fire, season Avith pepper and salt and 
serve. 

Soup (Cream Noodle). — Stir the above quantity of noodles into 
boiling water, instead of broth; have ready an egg well beaten, stir- 
red into a pint of thick, sweet cream; stir this into the noodles, re- 
move from the fire, season as before and serve immediately. Noodles 
must never boil after coming to the surface. 

Soup (Oyster). — To each dozen or dish of oysters, put one-half 
pint of water; milk, one gill; butter, one-half ounce; powdered 
crackers to thicken; bring the oysters and water to a boil, then add 



426 WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

the other ingredients previously mixed together, and boil from three 
to five minutes only. Season with pepper and salt to taste. 

Soup (Pea). — Beef, five pounds; water, five quarts, six large car- 
rots, six good turnips, three large onions, salt sufficient; put it on a 
good slow fire, let it boil three hours; then strain all the broth from 
the meat and vegetables, and then add three pounds of split peas to 
the broth; set it on a slow fire two hours, stirring often, so that all 
the peas will dissolve; take one pound fresh sausage meat, fried to a 
crisp and fried bread crumbs; put all together, add a few fine herbs, 
and serve hot. 

Soup (Poultry). — Take the carcass and bones of any poultry — 
turkey particularly — and put in a kettle with plenty of water, and 
boil all the forenoon, filling up with hot water if necessary, and at 
dinner time you will find to your surprise a most savory soup; 
season with salt and pepper. 

Soup (Tomato). — One can (pint) canned tomatoes. One pint 
water, boil twenty minutes; then add one pint milk very gradually 
so as not to curdle, season as for oyster soup, and serve with crack- 
ers or toast bread. 

Southern Moss — care of. — Ladies possessing baskets of the beau- 
tiful trailing Southern moss from the swamps of South Carolina and 
Georgia, will be glad to know that it is advisable to occasionally 
place it in a pail of water, at blood heat, letting it stand for some 
hours, then squeezing it out and hanging it over chairs to dry, be- 
fore replacing it in its former decorative positions. This serves to 
keep it alive and in good condition. When the warm weather sets 
in, hang it out on trees or shrubs, if you have them; if not, hang on 
the baskets, or make trellises for it in your shadiest corners. It will 
not only grow, but under ordinarily favorable circumstances will 
flower — the flowers very much resembling cloves. 

Spavin and Ring-bone — Cure. — Venice turpentine and Spanish 
flies, of each, two ounces; euphorbium and acqua ammonia, of each 
one ounce; red precipitate, one-half ounce; lard, one and a half 
pounds. Pulverize all, and put into the lard; simmer slowly over 
coals, not scorching or burning, and pour off, free of sediment. For 
ring-bones, cut off the hair, and rub the ointment well into the lumps 
once in forty-eight hours. For spavins, once in twenty-four hours 
for three mornings. Wash well previous to each application with 
suds, rubbing over the place with a smooth stick, to squeeze out a 
thick, yellow matter. This has removed very large ring-bones. 

Spectacle Glasses — to determine the exact focal distance. — 
Place the end of a measure of thirty or forty inches in length against 
a smooth wall, or other suitable ground, in plain view of some well- 
defined object a few rods distant, as, for instance, a building or win- 
dow on the opposite side of the street. Then place the edge of your 
lens on the measure, and move it backward or forward until a spectrum 
is formed, or, in other words,, until a clear and distinct outline of 
the distant object is produced on the ground against which your 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 427 

measure rests. This point will represent sufficiently near, for all 
practical purposes, the exact focal distance of the lens, and will cor- 
respond in inches with the number on all properly marked convex 
spectacles. 

For mending fine steel spectacle frames, use the best gold solder in 
preference to silver or brass solder. 

Spectacle Wipers. — This is something the little ones can make for 
grandpa or uncle. Cut out of soft chamois leather, two perfectly 
round pieces an inch and a half across, bind the edges neatly with 
nartow ribbon, and fasten them together at the side with a bow. 

Spice-mill — to clean. — If you wish to clean your spice-mill, grind 
a handful of raw rice through it. The particles of spice or pepper or 
of coffee will not adhere to it after this rice is ground through. 

Spirits — depression of. — This distressing state may depend on ex- 
cessive exhaustion of nervous power, from anxiety, disappointment, 
or undue mental exertion. It may also originate in bilious affection 
or derangement of the general health, and these little causes often en- 
ter into combination with those first mentioned. 

Treatment. — The first thing is to turn the attention and thoughts 
from those objects and channels which have proved prejudicial; then 
endeavor to brace up the nerves, and gain tone for the general sys- 
tem by exercise on horseback or on foot, by regulated c'.iet and early 
hours. Indolence and luxurious living should be avoided, active 
employment should be resorted to, and the mind engaged in some 
pursuit which will afford interest as well as employment. With re- 
gard to medical treatment, the state of the bowels must be attended 
to, which, in these cases, are often torpid and inactive. To remedy 
this, the following should be taken: Extract of aloes, thirty grains; 
castile soap, twenty grains; oil of cloves, three drops, mix; divide 
into twelve pills, and take one or two for a dose, according to circum- 
stances; or powdered aloes and powdered gum guaiacum, of each 
forty grains; powdered camphor, fifteen grains; extract of henbane, 
half a dram; mix, and divide into thirty pills, two to be taken when 
required. The diet should be nutritious and somewhat generous; 
meat may be eaten twice a day, and a moderate ai.iount of stimulat- 
ing fluids taken. Tea and coffee in excess should be avoided. 

Sponge — to bleach. — Wash first in weak muriatic acid, then in cold 
water; soak in weak sulphuric acid, wash in water again,- and finally 
rinse in rose-water. 

Sponges — to cleanse. — Sponges can be cleansed by washing them 
in ammonia and water (use the proportion of a teaspoonful to two 
quarts) and afterward in a solution of muriatic acid; one part acid to 
tv/enty-five parts v/ater. Sponges arc not kept clean without care. 
They should be thoroughly rinsed, then aired and dried after every 
using, and unless they can be kept thus scrupulously neat they should 
be banished. For our own use a small piece of Turkish toweling or 
a neatly hemmed piece of old table-cloth, v/hich can go through the 
regular laundry process, seems neater. Buttermilk is excellent for 



42S WHA T E VER V ONE SHOULD KNO W. 

cleaning sponges. Steep the sponge in the milk for some hours, then 
squeeze it out and wash it in cold water. Lemon juice is also good. 
Spots and Stains — to remove from clothing. — Benzine is un- 
doubtedly by far the best and cheapest substance for removing grease, 
resin, stearine, paraffine, tar, wagon-grease, etc., the purest kind to 
be applied to the more delicate fabrics. Such spots are often com- 
plicated by the adhesion of dust or other matters, which, even if in- 
soluble themselves, readily fall off when the substance with which 
they are combined is removed. For spots of oil it is best to add a 
little alcohol ether. Silver spots and indelible ink can be removed, 
even after a long time, by means of cyanide of potassium or iodide 
of potassium applied in a concentrated solution. Rust spots can be 
made to disappear by treatment with a weak solution composed of 
one part nitric acid and twenty-five of water, and afterward rinsing 
with water and ammonia; copper spots by diluted sulphuric acid and 
ammonia, and subsequently with water and ammonia. Spots of 
paint, when not soluble in water and alcohol, can almost always be re- 
moved by oil of turpentine. For complete removal it is necessary to 
wash the spot afterward in a good deal of turpentine. Fruit, wine, and 
similar spots are to be treated by sulphurous acid, which may be re- 
placed sometimes, but not always, by chlorine. The acid may be ap- 
plied cither in the form of gas or dissolved in water; in the first case the 
substance to be treated is to be stretched at the proper height over 
burning sulphur, and in the latter moistened with the solution and 
then washed with pure water. For fine white table-cloths the dilute 
acid is preferable. 

Sprained Ankle or Wrist. — Wash the ankle very frequently Avith 
cold salt and water, which is far better than warm vinegar or decoc- 
tions of herbs. Keep the foot as cool as possible to prevent inflam- 
mation, and sit with it eleVated on a high cushion. Live on low diet, 
and take every day some cooling medicine, such as Epsom salts. It 
cures in a few days. 

Sprains — treatment of. — i. Sprains are always promptly relieved by 
allowing the coldest water to fall upon the part steadily, until no dis- 
comfort is experienced. Repeat as often as necessary. Keep the 
sprained joint elevated, if about the hands, and horizontal if about 
the feet, so as to promote the flow of blood from the parts by gravity, 
and live for a few days on fruits and coarse bread mainly. 

2. In case of a sprain or a bruise, after it has been well bathed with 
extremely hot water, the extract of witch-hazel heated, poured on 
flannel, and bound on the part will relieve the pain as quickly as if it 
really contained magical properties. 

3. The white of an &%%, into which a piece of alum about the size 
of a walnut has been stewed until it forms a jelly, is a capital remedy 
for sprains. It should be laid over the sprain upon a piece of lint, and 
be changed as it becomes dry. 

4. Rub sprains, bruises, and lameness with a paste made of salt 
and the white of an egg. 



IVHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 429 

Springs — how to form. — The finest spring can be made by boring, 
which is performed by forcing an iron rod into the earth by its own 
weight, turning it round, and forcing it up and down by a spring-pole 
contrivance. The water will sometimes spout up several feet above 
the surface. Iron pipes are put down in the hole after the water is 
found. Depressed situations, having a southern exposure, with ris- 
ing ground toward the north, are the best situations in which to find 
v.ater. 

Sprinkle — for bookbinders' use. — Red. — Brazilwood (ground), 
four parts; alum, one part; vinegar, four parts; water, four parts. Boil 
until reduced to seven parts, then add a quantity of loaf sugar and 
gum; bottle for use. 

Blue. — Strong sulphuric acid, eight ounces; Spanish indigo, 
powdered, two ounces; mix in a bottle that will hold a quart, and 
place it in a warm bath to promote solution. For use, dilute a little 
to the required color in a teacup. 

Black. — No better black can be procured than that made by the 
recipe for edge blacking, in this work, which see. 

Orange Color. — Ground Brazilwood, sixteen parts; annate, four 
parts; alum, sugar, and gum arable, each one part; water, seventy 
parts; boil, strain, and bottle. 

Purple. — Logwood chips, four parts; powdered alum, one part; soft 
water, twenty-four parts; boil until reduced to sixteen parts, and bot- 
tle for use. 

Green. — French berries, one part; soft water, eight parts. Boil, 
and add a little powdered alum, then bring it to the required shade of 
green, by adding liquid blue. 

Brown. — Logwood chips, one part; annatto, one part; boil in 
water, six parts; if too light add a piece of cop^ eras the size of a pea. 
Squinting. — Squinting frequently arises from the unequal strength 
of the eyes, the weaker eye being turned away from the object to 
avoid the fatigue of exertion. Cases of squinting of long standing 
have often been cured by covering the stronger eye, and thereby com- 
pelling' the weaker one to exertion. 

Stale Bread — to utilize. — Stale bread may be utilized in making a 
good breakfast dish. Cut it in thin slices, and, when toasted uniformly 
brown, spread it with butter, and heap on each slice some ham, 
minced and mixed with eggs, and fried nicely. Serve very hot. 

Stains — how to remove. — The stains easiest to remove are those 
of sugar, gelatine, blood and albumen; a simple washing with water 
is all that is necessary for all kinds of fabrics. 

Grease spots: For white linen or cotton goods, use soap or weak 
lyes. 

For colored calicoes, warm soap-suds. 
For woolens, soap-suds or ammonia. 

For silks, benzine, ether, ammonia, magnesir , chalk, yolk of egg 
with water. 

Paint, varnish and resin stains: For white or colored cotton and 



430 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

woolen goods, oil of turpentine and benzine, followed by soap-suds. 

For silk, benzine, ether, soap; hard rubbing is to be avoided. 

Stearine, sperm candle stains: For all kinds, use ninety-five per 
cent, alcohol. 

Wine and fruit stains: White cotton or linen, fumes of burning sul- 
phur, warm chlorine water. 

Colored cottons or woolens: Wash with tepid soap-suds or ammo- 
nia. 

Silks: The same, with very gentle rubbing. 

Rust, nutgall ink stains: White cottons and linens, warm solu- 
tion of oxalic acid, dilute muriatic acid followed by granulated tin. 

Colored cottons and woolens: Repeated washings with a solution 
of citric acid, if the color is fast. 

Silks: Do nothing; all attempts only make things worse. 

Lime, lye, alkali stains: White cottons and linens, wash with cold 
water. 

Colored goods and silks: A weak solution of citric acid applied 
with the tip of the finger to the spot, previously moistened with 
water. 

Acids, vinegar, orange-juice, etc., stains: White cottons and linens, 
wash with pure water or warm chlorine water. 

Colored goods or silks: Ammonia, diluted according to the fineness 
of the tissue and the delicacy of the color. 

Tannin, walnut shell stains: White cotton and linens, javelle 
water, warm chlorine water, concentrated solution of tartaric acid. 

Colored goods or silks. Chlorine water diluted according to the 
tissue and its color, each application to be followed by washing Avith 
water. 

Tar and Axle Grease Stains. — White cottons and linens. Soap, 
oil of turpentine, and water, each applied in turns. 

Colored cottons and woolens: First smear Avith lard, rub with 
soap and water, and let stand a short time; then wash with oil of 
turpentine and water, alternately. 

Silks: The same, using benzine instead of turpentine, and drop- 
ping the water from a certain height on the under side of the stain. 
Avoid rubbing. 

Stains of Dye to Remove from the Hands. — Take a small 
quantity of oil of vitriol, and pour it into some cold water in a wash- 
hand-basin, and wash your hands in it without soap; the dye will 
then come off. Afterward cleanse them completely in hot soap and 
water, taking care that all the acid is washed away before the soap 
is applied. If the vitriol water is not. made very strong, it will not 
injure the most delicate hands, nor leave any red or coarse appear- 
ance. 

Stains — to remove from the hands. — Dampen the hands first in 
water, then rub them with tartaric acid or salt of lemons, as you 
would with soap; rinse them and rub them dry. Tartaric acid or 
salt of lemons will quickly remove stains from white muslins or lin- 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W, 431 

ens. Put less than half a teaspoonful of water; wet the stain with 
it, and lay it in the sun for an hour; wet it once or twice with cold 
water during the time; if this does not quite remove it, repeat the 
acid water, and lay in the sun. 

Stains (Fruit) — to remove from linen. — i. Moisten the stained 
places with' a little water; then hold them over a lighted brimstone 
match in such a way that they catch the fumes without burning. 
The stains will yield to the fumes, and may be washed out. Avoid 
soap before the remedy is applied. 

2. Hot, sweet milk will also remove fruit stains if used before soap 
is applied. 

3. To take out stains of acids, fruits, etc., rub the place each side 
with yellow soap, then lay on a paste of starch made with cold 
water; rub it in, and bleach the linen in the sun till the stain comes 
out. Scorches may be removed from linen by spreading over them 
the following mixture: Juice pressed from two onions, half an ounce 
of white soap, two ounces of fuller's earth, and half a pint of vine- 
gar; mix and boil well. Let it get cold before using it. 

Stains of Ink on Books and Engravings. — They may be re- 
moved by applying a solution of oxalic acid, citric acid, or tartaric 
acid, upon the paper without fear of damage. These acids take out 
writing-ink, but do not interfere with the printing. 

Stains (Ink) — to remove. — Ink-stains in cotton or linen can 
often be removed by washing in salt and water; while wet they can 
be taken out with vinegar or milk, without injury to color, or fabric; 
but either of these methods must be employed before the fabric is 
washed v; ith soap, or even wet with water. 

Stained Hands. — i. Never attempt to wash stains, from whatever 
cause they may arise, from off the hands by using soap and water. 
In nine cases out of ten this will only serve to set the stains and 
lengthen the time of their disappearance. Salt of lemons is the best 
thing to use if you have it near you; if not, common salt. Use either 
of these as you would common soap. If, after this, the hands are not 
sufficiently white, wash them in horseradish and milk. 

2. The removal of walnut stains from the hands may be accom- 
plished simply by rubbing with slices of apple or of pear; the cleans- 
ing power being done, it is supposed, to the presence of the acid, 
which therefore may, perhaps, be advantageously replaced by citric 
acid or lemon-juice. If, however, the stains be at once thoroughly 
washed in fresh water, without using soap, the}^ may be made to dis- 
appear almost entirely; but soap is unadvisable, since its alkali acts 
as a mordant, and fixes the color. 

Stains and Grease — to remove from a carpet. — A mixture v. hich 
is excellent for removing grease spots and stains from carpet and 
clothing is made from two ounces of ammonia, two ounces of white 
castile soap, one ounce of glycerine, one ounce of ether; cut the soap 
fine, dissolve in one pint of water over the fire; add two quarts of 
water. This should be mixed with water in the proportion of a tea- 



432 WHA T E VER V ONE SHOULD KNO W. 

cupful to one ordinary sized pail of water. Mix thoroughly, and 
wash soiled garments in it. For removing spots use a sponge or 
clean flannel cloth,, and with a cloth rub as dry as possible. Woolen 
goods may be nrtade to look bright and fresh by being sponged with 
this. 

Stains (Milk and Coffee) — to remove. — These stains are very diffi- 
cult to remove, especially from light colored and finely finished goods. 
From woolen and mixed fabrics they are taken out by moistening 
them with a mixture of one part glycerine, nine parts water, and one- 
half part aqua ammonia. This mixture is applied to the goods by 
means of a brush, and allowed to remain for twelve hours (occasion- 
ally renewing the moistening). After this time, the stained pieces 
are pressed between cloth, and then rubbed with a clean rag. Dry- 
ing, and, if possible, a little steaming, is generally sufficient to thor- 
oughly remove the stains. Stains on silk garments which are dyed 
with delicate colors, or finely finished, are more difficult to remove. 
In this case five parts glycerine are mixed with five parts water, and 
one-quarter part ammonia added. Before using this mixture it should 
be tried on some part of the garment where it cannot be noticed, in 
order to see if the mixture will change color. If such be the case, no 
ammonia should be added. If, on the contrary, no change takes 
place, or if, after drying, the original color is restored, the 
above mixture is applied with a soft brush, allowing it to remain on 
the stains for six or eight hours, and is then rubbed with a clean cloth. 
The remaining dry substance is then carefully taken ofif by means of 
a knife. The injured places are now brushed over with clean water, 
pressed between cloths, and dried. If the stain is not then removed, 
a rubbing with dr}'^ bread will easily take it off. To restore the finish, 
a thin solution of gum arable, or in many cases beer is preferred, is 
brushed on, then dried, and carefully ironed. By careful manipula- 
tion these stains will be successfully removed. 

Stains from Mourning Dresses. — Boil a handful of fig leaves in 
two quarts of water until reduced to a pint. Bombazines, scrape, 
cloth, need only be rubbed with a sponge dipped in the liquor, and 
the effect will be instantly produced. 

Stains — to remove. — Boiling water will remove tea stains and 
many iron stains. Pour the water through the stain and thus pre- 
vent it from spreading over the fabric, while soaking it in milk be- 
fore washing will always remove ink stains from any fabric. 

Stains (Oil) — to remove. — To take oil stains out of white cloth, 
make a strong solution of borax water — one tablespoonful powdered 
borax to a pint of boiling water; place the cloth on a clean board ©r 
table, and rub the stains well, using a clean brush dipped into the 
solution; if the spots are of long standing a very little soap m.ay be 
used with the borax water, using the brush for that purpose; then rub 
dry with a clean, soft cloth. 

Stains from Silk. — Mix together in a phial two ounces of essence 
of lemon and one ounce of oil of turpentine. Grease and 



IVHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 433 

other spots in silk are to be rubbed gently with a linen rag dipped in 
this mixture. 

Stains on Silver-plate — to remove. — It frequently happens that, 
from long neglect, plate becomes so stained and spotted that it cannot 
be immediately restored by any of the usual plate-powders. When- 
ever this occurs, mix one part of sal ammoniac with sixteen parts of 
vinegar. Rub the stains or spots gently with the mixture; they 
will soon disappear. The plate should then be well washed in soap 
and water 

Stair Carpets — how to lay. — To save your stair carpets from 
wearing out at the edge, they should always have a strip of paper put 
under them at and over the edge of every stair which is the part 
where they first wear out, in order to lessen the friction of the carpet 
against the boards beneath. The strips should be within an inch or 
two as long as the carpet is wide, and about four or five inches in 
breadth, so as to lie a distance from each stair. 

Stammering — cure for. — i. Where there is no malformation of the 
organs of articulation, stammering may be remedied by reading aloud 
with the teeth closed. This should be practised for two hours a day, 
for three or four months. The advocate of this simple remedy says, 
" I can speak with certainty of its utility." 

2. A simple, easy, and effectual cure of stammering. It is, 
simply, at every syllable pronounced, to tap at the same time with 
the finger; by so doing, the most inveterate stammerer will be sur- 
prised to find that he can pronounce quite fluently, and, by long and 
constant practice, he will pronounce perfectly well. 

3. Mr, J. E. Suitterlin has for eight years conducted an institute in 
New York for the cure of stuttering and stammering with most satis- 
factory success. His system is philosopical and simple, and is based 
on the plainest common-sense principles. Excluding reliance on 
medical aid, it comprises chiefly careful drill of the vocal organs, 
and such mental discipline as will contribute to the object. In the 
first stage of treatment the subject is not permitted to talk, except 
to practice his exercises, and to make such movements in speech as 
can be guided and observed by the teacher. During this time he is 
taughf to consider himself not a patient, but a student of speech. In 
the second stage, which is begun when enough has been done in the 
first, the pupil is encouraged to talk for practice at every opportunity 
with a " legato " movement (as in music) and a strong accent. In 
the third stage he is allowed to talk more naturally, but in a studied 
manner, and in the fourth stage he is permitted to employ his normal 
way of speaking, but is by this time relieved from the impediment 
under which he formerly suffered. The psychic part of the treat- 
ment, which aims to divert the pupil's mind from himself, and his 
troubles, is the most difficult, and at the same time the most essen- 
tial part. The time required for success depends very largely, and, 
in fact chiefly, on the mental constitution of the subject. 

From this brief description of an effective method of treatment the 



434 ^^VA-^ T EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

parent may gather the useful hint that to remedy any incipient ten- 
dency in his child to stammer he should exercise a mild and kind but 
firm ruling, suppress all irritability of temper, observe for the child 
all the laws of health, and be careful as to his own manner of talk- 
ing and the patterns he may set for the child. The statistics col- 
lected and preserved by Mr. Suitterlin show that the stammering 
habit is contracted, with only very rare exceptions, between infancy 
and ten years of age. 

Starch — for doing up dresses. — For starching muslins, ginghams 
and calicoes, dissolve a piece of alum the size of a shellbark for every 
pint of starch and add to it. By so doing the colors will keep bright 
for a long time, which is very desirable when dresses must be often 
washed, and the cost is but a trifle. 

Starching Shirt Collars. — Make some gum water of the whitest 
and cleanest gum arable, keep it in a bottle, and whenever collars are 
to be starched, work a little of this gum water and also a little com- 
mon soda into the starch. This will give an extreme stiffness and a 
beautiful gloss to the collars. 

Starch — to clear. — To prevent starch from sticking, boil it, ac- 
cording to quantity, from half an hour to an hour in a stone milk 
crock, and it will not burn, and will become very clear and will starch 
linen beautifully. 

Starch — for paste. — Starch makes a better paste to use in paper- 
ing walls than flour, and is less expensive also, a little will go so 
much further. 

Starch Polish. — A piece of stearine candle, spermaceti or white 
wax as large as a robin's egg will give a nice gloss. A teaspoonful of 
salt to each pint of starch prevents sticking. 

Starched Clothes — to render less inflammable. — If a solution oi 
sal ammonia and gypsum be added to the starch used in doing up 
linen or cotton clothing these become considerably less inflammable, 
though not rendered incombustible. 

Steel Goods — to preserve from rust. — After bright grates have 
been thoroughly cleaned, they should be dusted over with unslaked 
lime, and thus left until wanted. All the coils of piano wires arc thus 
sprinkled, and will keep from rust for many years. Table-knives 
which are not in constant use ought to be put in a case in Avhich 
sifted quicklime is placed about eight inches deep. They should be 
plunged to the top of the blades, but the lime should not touch the 
handles. 

Steel — to remove bluing from. — Immerse in a pickle composed of 
equal parts muriatic acid and elixir vitriol. Rinse in pure water and 
dry in tissue paper. 

Steel — "way of scaling. — The scales on steel articles can be re- 
moved by pickling in water with a little sulpuric acid in it, and 
when the scale is loosened, brushing with sand and a stiff brush. 

Steel (Burnt) — to restore. — Borax, three ounces; sal-ammoniac; 
eight ounces; prussiate of potash, three ounces; blue clay, two ounces 



IVHA T E VER Y ONE SI/0 ULD A' NO If^. 435 

resin, one and a half pounds; water, one gill; alcohol, one gill. Put 
all on a fire and simmer till it dries to a powder. The steel is to be 
heated and dipped into this powder, and afterward hammered. 

Steel — to toughen. — Resin, two pounds ; tallow, two pounds ; 
black pitch, one pound ; melt together, and dip the steel in when hot. 

Steel — to remove rust from. — Cover the steel with sweet oil, well 
rubbed in. In forty-eight hours rub with finely powdered, unslaked 
lime until the rust disappears. 

Steel — to polish. — Take crocus of oxide of tin and graduate it in 
the same way as in preparing diamond dust, and apply it to the 
steel by means of a piece of soft iron or bell metal, made in proper 
form, and prepared with flour of emery, same as for pivot burnishers; 
use the coarsest of the crocus first, and finish off with the finest. To 
iron or soft steel a better finish may be given by burnishing than can 
be imparted by the use of polishing powder of any kind whatever. 
The German method of polishing steel is performed by the use of 
crocus on a buff wheel. Nothing can exceed the surpassing beauty 
imparted to steel, or even cast-iron, by this process. 

Stew (Chicken). — Boil a chicken until tender; remove and chop 
fine; have ready a deep dish; put in the pieces of chicken with the 
liver, in layers, with salt, pepper and butter; make a gravy with the 
liquor; pour over the chicken and cover with a suet crust. 

Stew (Irish) — economical. — After the best end of a neck of mut- 
ton has been used for roast or cutlets, take the scrag and cut it up, 
and the ends of the cutlets cut up in small pieces; the bones must not 
be broken. Put one pound of meat to two pounds of good old pota- 
toes peeled and cut in pieces, onions, pepper, and salt, and a little 
water in a covered saucepan. When half done, add a few whole pota- 
toes, and by the time these are quite cooked all the water should be 
absorbed, and the ingredients well amalgamated and no gravy appar- 
ent. It is best served in a deep dish. 

Stings — remedies for. — i. The following is a cure for bee stings : 
Take a pinch in the fingers of common table salt, put on the place 
stung and dissolve with water, rub with the finger. If not relieved 
in one minute, wet the place with aqua ammonia. 

2. For bites and stings, apply instantly, with a soft rag, most freely, 
spirits of hartshorn. 

3. A lump of wet saleratus applied to the spot stung by a wasp 
will afford instant relief. The alkaline property neutralizes the 
poison. 

4. A bruised leaf of the common poppy applied to the stings will 
give immediate relief. 

Stings — treatment of. — The pain caused by the sting of a plant or 
insect is the result of a certain amount of poison injected into the 
blood. The first thing to be done is to press the tube of a small key 
firmly on the wound, moving the key from side to side to facilitate the 
expulsion of the sting and its accompanying poison. The sting, if 
left in the wound, should be carefully extracted, otherwise it will 



43(') WHAT I'.VEKY ONE SIfOULn KNOW. 

greatly increase the local irritation. The poison of stings being acid, 
coininon sense points to the alkalies as the proper means of cure. 
Aiuoii^ Jiu; most easily procured remedies may be mentioned soft 
soap, li(|ui(l of ammonia (spirits of hartshorn), smelling salts, wash- 
ing soda, (|ui(klime made into a i)aste with water, lime water, the 
jtiice of an onion, tobacco juice, chewed tob.irco, l)ruised dock leaves, 
tomato juice, wood ashes, tobacco ash, and carbonate of soda. If 
the sling be si'Vere, rest and coolness should be added to the other 
remedies, more (•specially in the case of nervous subjects. Nothing 
is so :i|»i to make the j><)ison active as heat, and nothing favors its ac- 
tivity less than cold. Let the body be kept cool and at rest and the 
activity of the poison will be reduced to a minimum. Any active 
exertion whereby tin; circulation is (piickened will increase both pain 
and swelling. If the swelling be severe the part may be rubbed with 
sweet oil or a drop or two of laudanum. Slings in the eye, ear, 
mouth or throat sometimes lead to bad consetpu-nces; in such cases 
medical advice should always be sought for as soon as possible. 

Stiff Neck treatment. — Warmed uiolasses and mustard make a 
good plaster for si ill neck. 

Stocking Supporters. — When buying elastic ribbon for children's 
slocking suppoitersf procure a line-webbed brand; one pair of these 
will outwear several of the chea|)er ones. Do not put button holes in 
the (>lastic; but hem \\\v ends and sew on loops of narrow white tape. 
Mak<; the supporters long enough for the shortest stockings, and add 
a couple of loops of tape two inches ai)art on the upper end for use 
with longer hose. If at any lime it is necessary to allow the support- 
<M-s to encircle the leg, j)rocure the ribboti with (luted edges, as that 
is much more elastic than any other kind, and will offer less hindrance 
to circnialioii. 

Stockings (Faded) -to restore.- Pale blue stockings which have 
faded can have ihe ( olor icslorid by dipping into hot water in which 
common bluing has been poured and st)me lumps of alum are dis- 
solved. Old white stockings can be colored in this way and do a 
good deal of service. 

Stockings -to make durable.- Heforo the childien's stockings 
be^irj to be thin at the knees and to need mending, put a piece of 
cloth iHuler and sew with fine stitches so that they will not show; soft 
(lanrielor pieces of old stockings which are strong enough to be worth 
using ari^ l)etter than any heavier cloth. Hy taking the trouble to do 
this, sl«)ckinj.;s may be made to last twice as long as without. 

Stomach (Weak) to make strong. — The treatment consists in 
takinj; no otlu-r nourishment than yolks of eggs beaten up with the 
(hnir of potatoes aiul wati-r. Its eiruacy, however, in cases of de- 
bility cannot be (pu-stioned, aiul the following is the mode of prepar- 
ing this valuable article ot food as recommended by .Sir John Sin- 
clair: Heat up an e,i;i^ in a howl and then add six lablespoonfuls of 
cold watei, mi.xing the wlu)Ie well to^ethei ; then add two table- 
spoonfuls of the farina t)f potatoes; let it be thoroughly mi.xed with 



WHAT EVERY GIVE SHOULD KNOW. 437 

the liquor in the bowl. Tlu'ii pour in as much boilinjjf water as will 
convert tlic wliolc into ;i jelly .iimI mix it well. It may l)c taken 
cither alone or with Ihc addition of a little milk; in cases of stomachic 
debility or (•onsumplive disorders, at the otiuir meals. ']"he dish is 
li.t,dit and easily digested, extremely wliolesoine and nourishing, 
lircad or biscuit may be taken with it as the stomach ^^'^^ slrouijcr. 

Stomach Sickness Relieved. — Saks of tartar, thirty j^rains; oil of 
mint, six drops; powdered f^um arable, one-eightli of an ounce; ])cjw- 
dered loaf-su^ar, ont'-eij^hth of an ounce; water, six ounces. A table- 
spoonful of the mixture is a dose. 

Stones (Large) — to manage. — A trcnc h is du^;- around the stone, 
and in this a lire is built of any rubbish or trash at hand. Our cor- 
respondent says that the heat opens the seams in the stone and it may 
be easily broken apart into pieces suitable for use in building-, etc. 

Stoppers (Glass) — to loosen. — Loosen ground f,dass sto[)pers by 
wrappiiij.; around the net k of the bottle a thick ra^ wet with hot 
water. Remove the stop])er before the heat reaches and expands it. 
If sticky, drop a little camph(!ne betwc-en the neck and sto|)per. 

Stoves- to black, --'riu- fine jjolish given stoves by those skilled 
in the ait is produced as follows: 1 lave a thin mixtureof black varnish 
and turpentine; ap|)ly this with a paint or varnish brush to a portion 
of the st(;ve; then with a cloth dust this over with pulverized IJrilish 
luster or stove polish; then rub with a dry biiish. The stove must 
be perfectly cold. The stove dealers buy the pulverized stove polish, 
which is carburet of iion, in twenty-live pound packaj.jes. The pro- 
cess conducted in this niainier is (juite brief, but gives beautiful 
results. 

Stoves — care of. — i. WIkmi taken down they should be lhorf)Ughly 
cleaned, both inside and out, and if a new lining or other rejjairsare 
needed, now is the time; to attend to Ihis. (io over the outside of 
both stove and pipe with common stove i)olish, which is plumbago or 
black lead, and avoid all kinds of varnish. The use of ihe polish, 
thoroughly rubbed on with a brush, is not for appearance merely, but it 
forms a thin film over the iron and prevents it from becoming rusty. 
The i)ipe should have all loose dust knocked out, and if it is neces- 
sary to separate the joints first mark them with chalk in such a man- 
ner that they can be readily put together again. Much of the j)ro- 
vcrbial annoyance in putting up a stove is due to a neglect of this 
simple precaution. All loose parts, including legs, should In; wrap- 
ped in coarse paper, and placed inside of the stove before it is put 
away, not iorgetling the poker, handles, and what<;ver else bi;long 
to it. Stovers should always be stored in a dry, light place:, where 
water cannot accidiMitally reach them. It is a useful precaution lo 
wraj) them in old bagging, or even newspajjers. 

2. When sheet-iron stoves and pii)e are taken down in the spring, 
first clean all soot and ashes from every part as completely as possi- 
ble and have them perfectly dry. Dip a soft eoltoij cu' woolen cloth 
in kerosene oil and rub over the whole outside surface; then with 



438 IVHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

another dry cioth wipe over the articles again lightly and evenly; 
then wrap up each piece in newspapers to keep from dust and air, and 
store away in a dry place for the season. In the fall all that they will 
need to have them look nice is to rub them over with a dry cloth. 

3. You can black a sheet-iron stove just as you do your cook stove, 
but not when hot. Polish by rubbing after blacking it with a dry 
newspaper. 

4. A tablespoonful of molasses added to stove blacking will cause 
it to adhere better and retain its polish longer, 

5. Rusty stove pipe may be made to look nearly as good as new by 
rubbing it over with a bit of cloth moistened with sweet oil. By 
coating the entire pipe, joints which are unlike in appearance will be 
made uniform and display a nice luster. 

6. A teaspoonful of pulverized alum mixed with stove polish will 
give the stove a fine luster which will be quite permanent. 

Strains, etc. — embrocation for. — Half ounce of strongest cam- 
phorated spirit, one ounce spirits of turpentine, one raw ^z^, half 
pint best vinegar. Well mix the whole, and keep it closely corked. 
To be rubbed in three or four times a day. For rheumatism in the 
head, or faceache, rub all over the back of the head and neck, as well 
as the part which is the immediate seat of pain. 

Strawberries — when to plant. — The above question is often asked, 
and its answer must depend upon circumstances. One fact about the 
strawberry plant should be known, and this will enable each one to 
decide for himself. The plants that are sent out by nurserymen are 
those that were formed last year by the runners from old plants tak- 
ing root in the soil of the bed. If these are taken up in the usual 
way and planted in a new bed — it may be after the lapse of several 
days — they require a whole season to get established and become suf- 
ficiently strong to bear a crop. If these plants are set this spring, 
they will bgar a crop next spring; if such plants are set next autumn, 
they will require all of next season to grow in, and while they may 
produce here and there a few berries, they will give no real crop 
until the following year. Growers of fruit for market set a share of 
their plants in the fall, because then they have leisure and the ground 
is in excellent condition. If the plants are made to strike root in 
pots, these in early autumn may be planted in beds without any dis- 
turbance of their roots, and will give a fair crop next spring. Such 
plants are more expensive than others, and if a crop of fruit is wanted 
next spring, it is better to set out the plants now. Making the rows 
two feet apart, and setting the plants one foot apart in the row, as a 
general rule is best. 

With regard to protecting strawberry plants, if some light material 
can be put over the plants that will not smother and rot them, and 
yet will be just enough to make shade from the winter sun and a 
screen from frosty v.'inds, it will l)e doin^j a good turn to the straw- 
berry plant. Manure is bad. There is salt in it, especially when 
fresh, which is destructive to foliage; but clean straw, or swamp or 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO IV. 439 

marsh hay that is free from weeds, answers the purpose very well. 
But it must not be put on very thick. The idea is, just enough to 
make a thin screen, and yet enough to hold the moisure long. Shade 
without damp is the idea. Such light protection is good for the straw- 
berry plant. 

Strawberries — to make digestible. — The way to make strawber- 
ries digestible to those who are unable to eat them on account of dys- 
pepsia or any other cause is very simple. Cover them with a very 
large allowance of powdered sugar and then squeeze over them one, 
two or three lemons, according to the quantity. The lemon juice 
brings out the strawberry flavor more than anything else, and its 
acidity counteracted by the large quantity of sugar. The lemon juice 
should be in the same proportion as the cream would be in the place 
of which it is used. 

Strawberry Short Cake. — One quart of flour, two heaping tea- 
spoonfuls of baking powder, one teaspoonful of salt, two tablespoon- 
fuls of sugar sifted together. Add a scant half cup of butter and mix 
through very thoroughly, then add milk till stiff enough to roll out. 
Mold only just sufficiently to make smooth, and roll about half an 
inch thick. Bake in a quick oven, split open lightly, butter well and 
strew with berries and powdered sugar, making two layers with ber- 
ries between and on top. We like this better than the real sweet kind. 
The same may be used with peaches and oranges, which are excellent 
substitutes for strawberries. 

Straw — method of bleaching. — Dip the straw in a solution of 
oxygenated muriatic acid, saturated with potash. (Oxygenated 
muriate of lime is much cheaper). The straw is thus rendeied very 
white, and its flexibility is increased. 

Stra'W Hats — to bleach. — Straw hats and bonnets are bleached by 
putting them, previously washed in pure water, into a box with 
burning sulphur; the fumes which arise unite with the water on the 
bonnets, and the sulphurous acid thus formed bleaches them. 

-Straw Matting and Oilcloth — to clean. — Straw matting may be 
kept new looking and bright by washing it twice during the season with 
a warm solution made by dissolving a pint of salt in half a pailful of 
soft water, the object of the salt being to prevent it from turning yel- 
low. After washing, the m.atting should be quickly dried with a soft 
cloth. By wiping oilcloth all over, after being scrubbed and dried, 
with a cloth dipped in milk, the colors will come out clear and bright, 
and remain distinct throughout the year. This does not " track off " 
like oil used for the same purpose. 

Stump Machine (Hcme-made). — Take three pieces of common 
joints, put them together in form like a common harrow, letting the 
tapering ends lap by each other some six inches, making a place for 
the chain to rest in. Cut off the roots at any distance you please 
from the stump; place the machine at one side of the stump, tapering 
end up; hitch the chain on the opposite side and pass it over the 
machine; then hitch a good yoke of oxen thereto, and you will see 



440 WHA T EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

the stump rise. Another good method is as follows: In the fall of 
the year bore a one inch hole eighteen inches deep into the center of 
the stump, and put in one ounce of saltpeter, filling up with water, 
and plugging the hole up. In the spring take out the plug, put in 
half a gill of kerosene and set fire to it. It will burn out the stump to 
the furthest root. Here is another plan: In the fall, with an inch 
auger, bore a hole in the center of the stump ten inches deep, and 
put into it one-half pound of vitriol, and cork the hole up 
very tight. In the spring the whole stump and roots extending all 
through their ramifications will be found so rotten that they can 
easily be eradicated. 

Sty in the Eye. — i. Stys are little abscesses which form between 
the roots of the eyelashes, and are rarely larger than a small pea. The 
best way to manage them is to bathe them frequently with warm water 
or warm poppy-water, if very painful. When they have burst, use an 
ointment composed of one part of citron ointment and four of sper- 
maceti, well rubbed together, and smear along the edge of the eyelid. 
Give a grain or two of calomel with five or eight grains of rhubarb, 
according to the age of the child, twice a week. The old-fashioned 
and apparently absurd practice of rubbing the sty with a ring, is as 
good and speedy a cure as any process of medicinal application; 
though the number of times it is rubbed, or the quality of the ring 
and direction of the strokes, have nothing to do with its success. The 
pressure and the friction excite the vessels of the part, and cause an 
absorption of the effused matter under the eyelash. The edge of the 
nail will answer as well as a ring. 

2. Take a fig, cut it once or twice in two, put it in a cup, pour 
boiling water on it, and let it stand until cool, not cold, then bathe 
the eye with the water quite frequently. It is sure. 

3. Put a teaspoonful of tea in a small bag; pour on it just enough 
boiling water to moisten it; then put it on the eye pretty warm. Keep 
it on all night, and in the morning the sty will most likely be gone ; 
if not, a second application is sure to remove it. 

Suffocation — to avoid. — To avoid suffocation in a house on fire, 
steep a handkerchief or towel in water and tie it round the head, cov- 
ering mouth and nostrils. In that condition, a per.;on will be in a 
position to breathe freely and walk in the densest smoke to be met 
with in a burning building. 

Sulphur — its properties and uses. — Sublimed sulphur is laxative 
and diaphoretic. It is used externally in skin cases, especially itch, 
both in the form of ointment and as a vapor-bath. It is used mter- 
nally in haemorrhoids, combined with magi.esia, as a laxative for 
children, and as a diaphoretic in rheumatism. Dose, from one scruple 
to two drams, mixed in milk or with treacle. When combined with 
an equal proportion of cream of tartar it a^ts as a purgative. 

Sulphurous Acid — to make. — To twelve ounces of sulphuric acid, 
in a glass retort, add two ounces of sulphur, and apply a gentle heat. 
This is a cheap and easy process. 



WIIA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 441 

Summer Suits — how to wash. — Summer suits are nearly all 
made of white or buff linen, pique, cambric, or muslin, and the art of 
preserving the new appearance after washing is a matter of the 
greatest importance. Common washerwomen spoil everything with 
soda, and nothing is more common than to see the delicate tints of 
lawns and percales turned into dark blotches and muddy streaks by 
the ignorance and vandalism of a laundress. It is worth while for 
ladies to pay attention to this, and insist upon having their summer 
dresses washed according to the directions which they should be pre- 
pared to give their laundresces themselves. In the first place, the 
water should be tepid, the soap should not be allowed to touch the 
fabric, it should be washed and rinsed quick, turned upon the wrong 
side and hung in the shade to dry, and when starched (in thin boiled, 
but not boiling starch) should be folded in sheets or towels and ironed 
upon the wrong side as soon as possible. But linen should be washed 
in water in which hay or a quart bag of bran has been boiled. This 
last will be found to answer for starch as well, and is excellent for 
print dresses of all kinds, but a handful of salt is very useful also to 
set the colors of light cambrics and dotted lawns; and a little ox gall 
will not only set, but brighten yellow and purple tints, and has a good 
effect upon green. 

Sunday Occupation. — The man of business, whose body and mind 
have alike been taxed during the six working days, ought to sleep an 
hour or two after his Sunday dinner, if he can. It is surprising how 
much like a seven day clock the brain will work, if the habit of a 
" Sunday nap " be once formed. Nature will take advantage of it as 
regularly and gratefully as she does of the nightly sleep, and do her 
best to make up lost time. People, on the other hand, whose weekly 
toil is chiefly physical, may well give their mind activity, while their 
body is resting. Two sermons and three or four hours of solid read- 
ing are a real rest to some on Sunday, while to others such a course 
amounts to positive Sabbath breaking. Sunday is a day of rest — not 
a day of work, religious or otherwise; it is a day for repose — not for 
exhaustion. But what the dogmatists on one side and illiberal liber- 
als on the other are apt to overlook is the fact that all men do not 
rest alike any more than they labor alike, and what may help to save 
one will aid in killing another. After the Sunday dinner, then, one 
should seek rest, innocent recreations, helpful happiness, sleep, or 
read or -^o and help instruct and interest a mission school, or visit 
the sick and suffering, according to your needs and your gifts. In 
suitable weather, a large portion of the day should be spent out of 
doors. 

Sun-burn — to remove. — Wash the face at night with either sour 
milk or buttermilk, and in the morning with weak bran tea and a lit- 
tle eau de cologne. This will soften the skin and remove the redness, 
and will also make it less liable to burn again with exposure to the 
sun. Bathing the face several times in the day with elder flower 
water and a few drops of eau de cologne is also very efficacious. 



442 WIIA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO VV. 

Sun-stroke — rules for the prevention and treatment of. — Sun- 
stroke is caused by excessive heat, and especially if the weather is 
" muggy." It is more apt to occur on the second, third or fourth day 
of a heated term than on the first. Lo'ss of sleep, worry, excite- 
ment, close sleeping-rooms, debility, abuse of stimulants, predispose 
to it. It is more apt to attack those working in the sun, and especial- 
ly between the hours of eleven o'clock in the forenoon and four 
o'clock in the afternoon. Have as cool sleeping-rooms as possible. 
Avoid loss of sleep, and all unnecessary fatigue. If working indoors 
and where there is artificial heat — laundries, etc. — see that the room 
is well ventilated. If working in the sun wear a light hat (not black, 
as it absorbs the heat,) straw, etc., and put inside of it on the head a 
wet cloth or a large green leaf; frequently lift the hat from the head 
and see that the cloth is wet. Do not check perspiration, but drink 
what water you need to keep it up, as perspiration prevents the body 
from being over-heated. 

Have, whenever possible, an additional shade, as a thin umbrella, 
when walking, a canvas or board cover when working in the sun. 
When much fatigued do not go to work, especially after eleven 
o'clock in the morning on very hot days if the work is in the sun. If 
a feeling of fatigue, dizziness, headache or exhaustion occurs, cease 
work immediately, lie down in a shady and cool place; apply cool 
cloths to and pour cold water over the head and on the neck. 

If any one is overcome by the heat send immediately for the near- 
est good physician. While waiting for the physician, give the person 
cool drinks of water, or cold black tea, or cold coffee, if able to 
swallow. If the skin is hot and dry, sponge with or pour cold water 
over the body and limbs, and apply to the head pounded ice wrapped 
in a towel or other cloth. If there is no ice at hand, keep a cold 
cloth on the head, and pour cold water on it as on the body. If the 
person is pale, very faint and pulse feeble, let him inhale ammonia 
for a few seconds, or give him a teaspoonful of aromatic spirits of 
ammonia in two tablespoonfuls of water with a little sugar. 

Superphosphate of Lime — to make. — Take a large tub, or barrel, 
and put into it two hundred pounds water; add, very slowly and 
cautiously, one hundred pounds of pure sulphuric acid; you must be 
very careful, while handling this article, not to let it touch your skin 
or clothing, as it will instantly blacken the skin and destroy the 
clothing, wherever it comes in contact; and, when mixed with water, 
it engenders a very intense heat. Into this mixture throw two hun- 
dred pounds of bones, no matter how old or useless they may be. 
The sulphuric acid instantly attacks and enters into combination with 
the bones, reducing them to a pasty consistency, and completely dis- 
solving them. Keep under cover, and turn them over occasionally, 
while the process is going on; and vv^hen completed dump out the 
whole contents on the barn floor or on a platform of boards, and 
thoroughly work into the mass four times its bulk of dry bog-earth or 
dry road-dust; mix and pulverize completely with a wooden shovel. 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO IV. 443 

The bog-earth acts as an absorbent or drier, retaining the fertilizing 
properties of the compound, and rendering it easy of uniform distri- 
bution. If whole bones are used, it will take six or eight weeks to 
dissolve them; if they are broken with an axe, they will dissolve in 
about three weeks; if they are ground in a bone mill, four days will 
be sufficient. This manure is the most powerful fertilizer in exist- 
ence; and when made by these directions, it is the cheapest, as one 
ton is equal to thirty-two tons of barnyard manure. For top-dress- 
ing grasslands, use three hundred pounds per acre; for corn, pota- 
toes, beans, turnips, etc., apply four hundred and fifty pounds per 
acre in the drill, mixing with the soil; for wheat, rye,, oats, or barley, 
four hundred pounds per acre, harrow in with the seed; for buck- 
wheat three hundred pounds per acre. 

Superphosphate in Twenty-four Hours. — Any farmer who has 
got an apparatus for steaming food for cattle can make superphos- 
phate in quick style by admitting steam from the boiler into the bar- 
rel containing the water, acid and ground bones. The heat thus 
generated quickens the dissolution of the bones in a wonderful man- 
ner; and if the process is properly conducted, it will not take over 
twenty-four hours in any case. It is indispensable that the barrel be 
tightly covered to retain the steam. 

Superphosphate — substitute for. — If you have inch bone ground 
in a bone-mill, and cannot afford to purchase the sulphuric acid to 
work it up into superphosphate of lime, you can reduce your bones into 
a fine impalpable powder by simply using three barrels of loamy soil 
to every barrel of inch bones; mix them together. The bones will 
soon begin to heat and ferment, and continue so for some time; they 
will then cool off. You will then proceed to chop down and pulver- 
ize and work the mass thoroughly; it will begin to reheat and fer- 
ment and cool down again; and you will continue working it over 
till the contents are brought to the proper state of fineness, when 
you will have a fertilizer of astonishing power. 

Swellings and Strains in Horses. — Strong vinegar saturated 
with common salt, used warm, is good for ^trains and reducing 
swellings in horses. One ounce of white vitriol; one ounce of green 
copperas; two teaspoonfuls of gunpowder, all pulverized together, 
and dissolved into one quart of soft water, and used cold, rubbing in 
thoroughly, is one of the best applications known for reducing swell- 
ings. 

Sweeny — liniment for. — Alcohol and spirits turpentine, of each 
eight ounces; camphor-gum, pulverized cantharides, and capsicum, 
of each one ounce; oil of spike, three ounces; mix. Bathe this lini- 
ment in with a hot iron, and a cure is sure to follow. 

Sweet Corn — to can. — We preserve sv/eet corn by putting the 
corn raw into tin cans; then fill with cold water even with the top of 
the corn; solder up the can, pricking a small hole in the cover; solder 
that also. Boil the cans and contents in boiling water two and a 
half hours; then with a hot iron open the small hole and let the gas 



444 ^^A T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

blow out, after which solder up and boil again two and a half hours 
and set away for use. Peas, string beans, and Lima beans can be 
put up in this manner, and they certainly pay for the trouble of put- 
ting up. Every family should have a soldering apparatus, as it 
would pay for itself in a very short time, and save many trips to the 
tinner's. 

S'weet Corn — to dry. — Have tried putting down sweet corn with 
salt, and would say to all, do not do it, for when you have washed or 
cooked it enough to get the salt out there is no goodness in it. I 
think there is no better way than to take it when just right for eat- 
ing, first thing in the morning, cut from the cob with a sharp knife, 
then scrape the cob, being careful not to cut into it at all, or it will 
spoil the corn by making it taste hard and unpleasant, put on tins 
and plates in a pretty hot oven, stirring often at first, and as it dries 
having less fire. By night mine is almost dry enough, and by the 
next day can be put in bags and hung up for winter use. In winter 
take what is needed for use, wash in two or three waters, put to soak 
in clean, when soft enough, cook fifteen minutes in same water, put 
in cream or milk, and season. It needs to soak four or five hours, or 
in cold weather can soak all night. 

Sweating Drops. — Ipecac, saffron, boneset and camphor gum, of 
each, three ounces; opium, one ounce; alcohol, two quarts. Let 
stand two weeks and filter. A teaspoonful in a cup of hot sage or 
catnip tea every hour until free perspiration is induced; good in 
colds, fevers, inflammations, etc. Bathe the feet in hot water at the 
same time. 

Sweats — treatment of. — A mixture of three parts salicylic acid 
and eighty-seven parts silicate of magnesia is said to be not only a 
remedy for sweating of the feet, but, when rubbed over the whole 
body, on the authority of Dr. Kohnhom, a cure for night sweating by 
consumptives. 

Sweeping Hints. — In sweeping do not scrub your broom into 
your carpet as if you were sawing a pine board, but sweep lightly 
and gently, and yoi» will get the dust together just as well, save 
making half the dust, besides saving a great deal in the wear of the 
carpets. Many housekeepers wonder why their carpets do not last 
as well as their neighbor's, which were put down at about the same 
time, or why this carpet does not wear as well as a previous one of 
the same kind, and the weaver gets the blame, when nine times out 
cf ten it is the sweeper who is to blame. We don't care how smart 
cur help is in other ways, if she digs her broom into the carpet in 
that pitching, scrubbing way which so many do, we begin to feel 
nervous, and wish the "help" was somewhere else, for we know 
how soon the carpet will begin to show it. Nothing in the world 
sooner spoils good pictures than dust. It gets into the cracks and 
corners, where it cannot be got out, so that we think it best to always 
dampen the broom before sweeping. Some people wear out the 
broom all on one side. Nothing is more suggestive of carelessness 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHOULD KNO W. 445 

than this. When sweeping, hold the broom nearly straight up and 
down, and brush rather than sweep, being careful to keep the longest 
side next the carpet. A broom kept straight will last three times as 
long as one allowed to wear out all on one side. When sweeping, 
take a teacupful of corn meal, moisten a little, and sprinkle on the 
carpet before sweeping. It will all sweep off, and will keep the dust 
from rising. It also has the effect to scour the carpet and keep it 
perfectly clean. When sweeping, dip your broom occasionally in 
water, hot is best, and keep the dust from flying over everything. 
Coarse salt sprinkled over the floor occasionally is said to keep the 
moths out of the carpet. 

Syrup (Cathartic.) — Best senna leaf, one ounce; butternut, the 
inner bark of the root, dried and bruised, two ounces; peppermint 
leaf, one-half ounce; fennel seed, one-half ounce; alcohol, one-half 
pint; water, one and one-half pints; sugar, two pounds; put all into 
the spirit and water, except the sugar, and let it stand two weeks; 
then strain, pressing out from the dregs, adding the sugar and sim- 
mering a few minutes only to form the syrup. If it should cause 
griping in any case, increase the fennel seed and peppermint leaf. 
Dose, one tablespoonful once a day, or less often if the bowels be- 
come too loose, up to the next period when the headache might have 
been expected, and it will not be forthcoming. 

Syrup for Consumptives. — Of tamarac bark, take from the tree, 
without rossing, one peck; spikenard root, one-half pound; dandelion 
root, one-quarter pound; hops, two ounces. Boil these sufficient to 
get the strength in two or three gallons water; strain, and boil down 
to one gallon; when blood warm, add three pounds best honey and 
three pints best brandy; bottle and keep in a cool place. Dose, drink 
freely of it three times per day before meals, at least a gill or more. 
Cure very certain. 

Syrup (Soothing). — i. Alcohol, oil of peppermint, castor oil, of 
each one ounce; mix. add oil of anise, half dram; magnesia, sixty 
grains; pulverized ginger, forty grains ; water, two ounces; white 
sugar to form a syrup. 

2. Take one pound of honey; add two tablespoonfuls of paregoric, 
and the same of oil of anise seed ; add enough water to make a thick 
syrup, and bottle. For children teething, dose, teaspoonful occasion- 
ally. 

Table-covers. — i. Handsome table-covers are made of alternate 
squares or half-square of basket flannel and of velveteen; one made 
of two shades of brown is very pretty, and one of brown and lemon 
color is particularly effective. The spread should be lined ; it is not 
necessary that the entire lining should be of expensive material ; un- 
bleached factory cloth will answer, provided that the facing is deep. 
No border is requisite, but if one prefers to have it, this should be of 
velveteen, and the facing of a contrasting color. If the blocks are 
neatly put together, no needlework is necessary to adorn the spread, 



44f) IVI/A T EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 

but ofcourse this point must be determined according to the taste and 
means of the maker. 

2. A simple but very handsome scarf for a small table is made by 
taking three strips of broad ribbon, have the center strip of a con- 
trasting color; for instance, if the two outer pieces are of the somber 
or shaded ribbons, let the center be of cardinal; turn the ends back to 
make them pointed, and put a tassel on each point; baste the ribbon 
to a lining of silesia, old silk, or even to Canton flannel, and where 
the edges jtnn, work fancy stitches. A great variety of scarfs could 
be made in this form, and be ornamentedby putting sprays of flowers 
in embroidery or painting on each point, or a vine or a scroll could 
be worked with good effect on the center stripe. 

3. Small round tables can be covered with a pretty gray cloth; 
draw it over the edge and fasten it on the underside with carpet 
tacks; finish the edge with macrame lace; do not fasten it on with 
tacks; take a needle and strong thread and blind-stitch it on. The lace 
should be lined with satin, or any color that will harmonize with the 
other furniture. Line a piece of the lace and fasten it around your 
shelf in place of the lambrequin, and you will like it much better. 
Take a piece of board the length of your shelf, cover it with the 
satin, paint a vine upon it; begin at the lower left-hand corner and let 
it extend almost t(^ the upper right-hand corner; place this on your 
shelf against the wall, and you have a nice background for vases and 
small statuary. 

4. The first, for a table longer than wide, is of olive green felt, 
trimmed with a band of cardinal plush about a finger wide, and put 
on with yellow embroidery silk in any of the fancy stitches. A 
worsted fringe composed of the different shades of olive green, tip- 
ped with a dash of red, serves as a finish to the bottom. The lining 
is of olive green Canton flannel, although I had intended it to match 
the plush band, but not being able to get anything near the color, had 
to fall back upon the olive green. 

The second is a scarf of olive brown plush lined with cardinal silk. 
On one end is embroidered pink and white flowers, with their leaves 
in the different shades of green, and on the other side, red and yel- 
low flowers with their leaves. The cardinal lining extends beyond 
the plush on the long sides in three small folds, so as to form a 
finish. The short sides below the embroidery are finished with red 
silk balls about an inch apart. 

The third cover is for an octagon topped stand. It is of English 
red plush, nailed tightly over the top, while from the sides hang scal- 
loped lambrequins, one scallop to a side, each of which is embroid- 
ered in patterns of pink primroses, pond lilies, forget-me-nots, fine 
while flowers, leaves, etc. A fancy fringe, the predominant color of 
which is red, finishes the bottom of each hmibrequin. 

Instead of plush for the last two tables, felt or Canton flannel may 
be used with very pretty effect. 

5. Materials required are only two inside coffee sacks, and little 



IVIIA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 447 

balls of worsted left from other fancy work. First cut one end of 
the sack off so as to have a square, then turn under the edges to pre- 
vent them from raveling. About an inch from the edge work a bor- 
der all around the square of any color of worsted. 

Inside of the border work a large cat-stitch, or any other stitch if 
preferred, in different colors, with about half an inch between the 
colors. For the center of the table-cover, inside the square of black, 
I worked in the same stitch as the border, a red rose with green 
leaves and red buds. Some persons sew on a square of colored cloth 
with applique figures for the center. Cut the second sack and the 
remnant of the first into strips about six inches wide, and ravel out 
the threads, leaving an inch for a heading. Put this fringe on double 
around the square, allowing plenty for the corners, and conceal the 
sewing by a cat-stitch of any color. 

Table-covers — for bed-rooms. — Simple and tasteful table-covers 
for bed-rooms may be made of pale blue Canton flannel trimmed 
with antique lace, or with velvet ribbon feather-stitched on. and fin- 
ished with fringe made of blue split zephyr or Shetland wool. 

Table of Daily Savings at Compound Interest. 
Cents per Day. Per Year. In Teti Years. Fifty Years 

2^ $ 10 .... $ 130 ,.,, $ 2,900 

SX 20 260 5,800 

II ..... 40 ... . 520 , . , . 11,600 

27>^ luo 1,300 29,000 

55 200 .... 2,600 .... 58,000 

1. 10 400 ..... 5,200 116,000 

1.37 500 .... 6,500 .... 145,000 

By the above table it appears that if a mechanic or clerk saves two 
and three-fourths cents per day from the time he is twenty-one till he 
is seventy the total with interest will amount to $2,900, and a daily 
saving of twenty-seven and one-half cents reaches the important sum 
of $29,000. Save all you can in a prudent manner for a time of pos- 
sible want, but act justly by paying all your debts andliberally by as- 
sisting those in need and helping in a good cause. 

Table Etiquette. — There is nothing so disagreeable as careless 
and untidy table manners; and to acquire graceful and pleasing 
habits while eating sometimes takes years of practice. But it can be 
done; we see everywhere ladies and gentlemen, and sometimes 
children, who show their good breeding by their conduct at the table. 
To begin to make yourselves like these the first thing to do is to sit 
down and think how you really behave at the table. Are your hands 
and nails and face clean, and hair brushed back smoothly ? Do you 
scat yourself quietly, and remember to put on your napkin ? Do you 
sometimes put your knife in your mouth, instead of a fork or spoon ? 
Do you pour your tea in your saucer, instead of drinking from the 
cup ? How do you pass your plate, if you are to be helped a second 



448 WffA T R VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

time ? The best way is to hold your knife or fork in your hand, and 
then it will not fall on the cloth. 

Then about passing articles of food: Do you reach over another 
person's plate, or stand up to reach something not near at hand, and 
knock over a glass or cruet in the attempt ? Do you eat fast and 
loud, and put large pieces in your mouth, or speak with food un- 
chewed, or pick your teeth ? Oh, I hope none of these, lor any one 
of them would make you appear impolite and uncultivated. ' And 
then you remember not to whisper, yawn, or stretch, or touch the 
hair, or blow the nose. If it is necessary to use your handkerchief, 
do it so quietly that no one will notice it; but this should be done be- 
fore you come to the table. And if there are bones, cherry pits, and 
things that cannot be swallowed, do not spit them on the plate, but 
put them on your spoon and then on your plate. 

Will you think of these hints the next time you sit down to your 
dinner and avoid them ? And remember that courtesy at the table 
is as indispensable as away from it, and if you practice it at home, 
you will not have to put it on when you are away, it will be so natural 
and easy for you. 

Table for the Library. — An ordinary kitchen table can with little 
trouble be transformed into quite an elegant piece of furniture for the 
library. The top and legs are smoothly covered with green cloth, 
the seam on the legs to be neatly sewed and the joining made on the 
inside of the leg that it may not show. It is then tacked at the top 
to hold it in place. The cloth is drawn smoothly over the top and 
tacked all round the sides. The head piece extending round the sides 
of the table must also be covered. An under shelf is made of pine 
wood covered with cloth and fitted securely to the legs about eight 
inches below the top. A heavy cord fringe of green worsted must 
be fastened round the shelf, with brass-headed nails about an inch 
and one-half apart. A castor fitted into each leg will finish a very 
handsome table. 

Table Mats — to make. — Get matting that comes around tea 
chests. Scrub well with soap-suds, then rinse, and wash again with 
soda water to turn it yellow. When dry, cut the desired shape and 
bind with scarlet braid. 

Table Mats — to bleach. — Wash them clean with soap-suds. Put 
a pan of live coals into the bottom of an old barrel. Over the coals 
sprinkle a quantity of sulphur, hang the wet mats into the barrel so 
they will receive the fumes of the sulphur, and cover tight. Take 
care, of course, that they do not catch fire from hanging too near the 
coals. Several of these " smudges " will be needed. When the mats 
are as white as desired, take them out. If they seem warped and out 
of shape from their alternate wetting and drying, dampen and press 
with a hot iron, or, as perhaps is better, under a steady, heavyweight 
until dry again. 

Table (Parlor) — to make, — A beautiful little piece of furniture for 
a drawing-room may be made of a pine table, round or triangular, 



IVHA T E VER V ONE SHOULD KNO W. 



449 



nicely ebonized. To do this, melt a quarter of a pound of best size 
in a stone pot, with water sufficient to cover it. Do not allow 
it to boil. Mix a small quantity of lamp-black and a very little blue- 
black, with oil, into the consistency of paste. Pour the size upon it, 
and mix all thoroughly well. Apply to the wood while warm, paint- 
ing it thickly, and when dry varnish it with two or three coats of 
copal varnish. This will make it a dull, dead black, resembling 
ebony. The top of the table may be covered with olive or crimson 
plush, embroidered in pink wild roses or white dogwood blossoms, 
either in silk or in the pretty ribbon work now in vogue. 

Table Scarf — to ma,ke. — A useful table scarf, and one that is par- 
ticularly pleasing to the eye, because it does not suggest almost end- 
less labor, is made by taking a strip of all Vfool Java canvas of the 
proper length for the table on which it is to be used. Line it with 
some stiff cloth and then with silesia. At about three inches from 
the outer edge sow on two strips of black velvet ribbon two inches 
wide. Through the center work a handsome scroll pattern, using 
bright yellow silk ; the velvet stripes may be put on precisely plain, 
or may be worked in old fashioned cross stitch, or in some modifica- 
tion of feather stitch. Finish the bottom of the scarf with yellow silk 
balls. This is suitable for the common sitting-room; it is so bright 
that the dust can be shaken from it with ease. 

Table Showing Number of Plants on an Acre at Special 

Distances. 
inches apart each way _ _ _ _ 

foot ..*<... 



6 

I 
i8 

2 
2 
3 

3 
4 
5 
6 

7 



inches '* " 
feet by i. foot 
feet each way 
feet by two feet 
feet apart each way 
feet " 
feet " 
feet " 
feet " 
feet " 



174,240 

42,560 

19,360 

21,780 

10,890 

7,260 

. 4,840 

2,725 

• 1,745 

1,210 

887 

680 



Table Showing Quantity of Seeds Required for a Given Num- 
ber of Plants, Number of Hills, or Length of DrilL 
Asparagus - - - - i oz. to 60 ft. drill. 

Beet - - - - - I oz. to 60 ft. 

Carrot - _ - - _ i oz. to 150 ft. 

Endive - - - - - i oz. to 150 ft. 

Okra - - - - - I oz. to 40 ft. 

Onion - - - _ - i oz. to 100 ft. 

Onion sets, small - - - i oz. to 20 ft. 

Parsley - . _ - i oz. to 150 ft. 

Parsnips - _ _ _ i oz. to 200 ft. 

Radish - - - - ^ - i oz. to 100 ft. 



450 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W, 



Salsify - 

Spinach _ - - 

Turnip - - - 

Peas _ _ > 

Dwarf Beans 

Pole Beans - - - 

Corn _ _ - 

Cucumber - - - 

Watermelon 

Muskmelon 

Pumpkin 

Early Squash 

Marrow Squash 

Cabbage - - - 

Cauliflower 

Celery _ - » 

Egg Plant 

Lettuce _ - - 

Pepper 

Tomato - _ - 

Table Showing- Quantity of 

Barley, broadcast 

Beans, dwarf, in drills 

Beans, pole, in hills 

Beet, in drills 

Broom-corn, in hills 

Buckwheat, broadcast 

Carrot, in drills 

Corn, in Mils 

Corn in soiling 

Clover, Alsike 

Clover, Red, alone 

Clover, Red, with Timothy 

Clover, White 

Clover, Lucerne 

Cucumber, in hills 

Flax, broadcast 

Grass, Blue, alone 

" Hungarian 

" Lawn 

" Oi-chard 

" Red Top 

" Rye 

'• R. L Bent 
Timothy 
Millet - . . . 

Mustard, broadcast 
Oats, broadcast 



I oz, to 70 ft. drilL 

- I oz. to 100 ft. '• 

- I oz. to 150 ft. " 

- I qt. to 100 ft. " 
I qt. to 100 ft. " 

- I qt. to 150 hills. 
I qt. to 200 " 

- I oz. to 50 " 
I oz. to 30 " 

- I oz. to 60 " 

- I oz. to 40 " 

- I oz. to 50 " 
I oz. to 16 " 

- I oz. to 3,000 plants. 
I oz. to 3,000 " 

- I oz. to 4,000 " 
I oz. to 2,000 " 

- I oz. to 4,000 " 
I oz. to 2,000 " 

- I oz. to 2,000 " 
Seeds Usually Sown to the Acre. 

- 2 to 3 bush. 

- i]/2 bush. 
8 to 10 qts, 
4 to 5 lbs. 

- 4 to 6 qts. 

- ^^ to I bush. 

- 2 to 3 lbs. 

- S qts. 

- - - 3 bush. 

- 5 lbs. 
10 lbs. 

- - - - 10 lbs. 

- 6 to 8 Dbs. 

- 15 lbs. 

- I to 2 lbs. 

1 to 2 bush. 

- - - 3 bush. 

yi bush. 

- - - 3 bush. 

2 to 3 bush. 

- - - 2 bush. 

- 2 bush. 
- - 3 bush. 

X bush. 

- - - }4. bush. 

12 toi6 qts. 
- - - 2 to 3 bush. 



4 to 6 


lbs. 


- 4 to 5 


lbs. 


iK 


bush. 


iX 


bush. 


3 


bush. 


ID 


bush. 


6 to 8 


bush. 


ID 


lbs. 


IJ^tO 2 


bush. 


- 6 to 8 


lbs. 


lO tOI2 


lbs. 


- 8 toio 


lbs. 


I 


lb. 


- 2 


lbs. 


2 to 3 


bush. 


. I>^ to 2 


bush. 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 45 1 

Onions, in drills _ - - - 

Parsnips, in drills . _ _ - 

Peas, Early, in drill _ _ _ 

Peas, Marrowfat, in drills _ - - 

Peas, broadcast - - - - 

Potato, cut tubers, in drills 
Radish, in drills - - - - 

Radish, broadcast - _ - - 

Rye, broadcast _ - - - 

Salsify, in drills _ _ - - 

Sorghum - - - 

Spinach, in drills _ _ - - 

Turnip, in drills - - - - 

Turnip, broadcast - - _ - 

Vetches, broadcast - - 

Wheat, broadcast - _ - - 

Clover, 8 lbs. \ 

Timothy, 6 qts. >• together for one acre. 

Red Top, I bush. ) 

Taffy (Sugar), — One pound sugar put in a pan with half tumbler 
cold water, add one teaspoon cream tartar, lump of butter size of a 
hickory nut, one teaspoon vinegar (do not stir at all), boil slowly 
twenty-five minutes, and drop a little into cold water, and if crispy 
it is done; turn on to plates and pour on flavoring — lemon and va- 
nilla, half each — pull till very white. 

Tallovy — to cleanse and bleach. — Dissolve alum, five pounds, 
in water, ten gallons, by boiling; and when it is all dissolved, add 
tallow twenty pounds; continue the boiling for one hour, constantly 
stirring and skimming; when sufficiently cool to allow it, strain 
through thick muslin; then set aside to harden; when taken from the 
water, lay it by for a short time to drip. 

Tanning. — The first operation is to soak the hide, as no hide can 
be properly tanned unless it has been soaked and broken on a flesh- 
ing beam. If the hide has not been salted add a little salt and soak 
it in soft water. In order to be thoroughly soaked green hides 
shoula remain in the liquor from nine to twelve days , of coarse the 
time varies with the thickness of the hide. The following liquor is 
used to remove hair, or wool, viz.: Ten gallons cold water (soft); 
eight quarts slaked lime, and the same quantity of wood ashes. 
Soak until the hair or wool will pull off easily. As it frequently hap- 
pens it is desirable to cure the hide and keep the hair clean, the fol- 
lowing paste should be made, viz: Equal parts of lime and hard wood 
ashes (lime should be slaked) and made into a paste with soft water. 
This should be spread on the flesh side of the hide and the skin rolled 
up, flesh side in, and placed in a tub just covering it with water. It 
should remain ten days or until the hair will pull out easily, then 
scrape with a knife. The skins of animals are composed mainly ©f 
gluQ or gluten. This is soluble, and the principle derived from the 



452 WHA T E VER Y ONE SHOULD KNO W. 

bark, tannin or tunic acid, is also to a considerable extent soluble; 
when the latter is allowed to act upon the former, chemical combina- 
tion takes place, and leather is produced, which is insoluble. 

Tanning With Acid. — After having removed the hair, scouring, 
soaking and pounding in the suds, etc., as in the last recipe, in place 
of white vitriol, alum and salt as there mentioned, take oil of vitriol 
(sulphuric acid), and water, equal parts of each, and thoroughly wet 
the flesh side of the skin with it, by means of a sponge or cloth upon 
a stick; then folding up the skin, letting it stand for twenty minutes 
only, having ready a solution of sal-soda and water, say one pound 
to a bucket of water, and soak the skin or skins in that for two 
hours, when you will wash in clean water, and apply a little dry salt, 
letting lie in the salt overnight, or that length of time; then remove 
the flesh with a blunt knife, or if doing business on a large scale, by 
means of the regular beam and flesh-knife; when dry, or nearly so, 
soften by pulling and rubbing with the hands, and also with a piece 
of pumice-stone. This, of course, is the quickest way of tanning, 
and by only wetting the skins with the acid, and soaking out in 
twenty minutes, they are not rotted. 

Tanning Calf, Kip, and Harness Leather in from Six to 
Thirty Days. — For a twelve pound calf-skin, take three pounds 
terra japonica; common salt, two pounds; alum, one pound; put 
them in a copper kettle with sufficient water to dissolve the whole 
without boiling. The skin will be limed, haired, and treated every 
way as for the old process, when it will be put into a vessel with 
water to cover it, at which time you will put in one pint of the com- 
position, stirring it well, adding the same night and morning for 
three days, when you will add the whole, handling two or three times 
daily all the time tanning; you can continue to use the tanning 
liquid by adding half the quantity each time, by keeping these pro- 
portions for any amount. If you desire to give a dark color to the 
leather, you will put in one pound of Sicily sumac; kip skins will 
require about twenty days, light horse hides for harness thirty days, 
calf-skins from six to ten days at most. 

Tanning Hides With the Hair On. — When taken from the animal, 
spread it flesh side up; then put two parts of salt, two parts of salt- 
peter and alum combined, make it fine, sprinkle it evenly over the 
surface, roll it up, let it alone a few days till dissolved; then take off 
what flesh remains, and nail the skin to the side of a barn in the sun, 
stretch tight, to make it soft like harness leather, put neat's-foot oil 
on it, fasten it up in the sun again; then rub out all the oil you can 
with a wedge-shaped stick, and it is tanned with the hair on. 

Tanning Muskrat Skins with the Fur on. — First, for soaking: 
To ten gallons cold soft water add eight parts of wheat bran; old soap, 
one-half pint; pulverized borax, one ounce; sulphuric acid, two 
ounces. If the skins have not been salted, add salt, one pint. Green 
skins should not be soaked more than eight to ten hours. Dry ones 
should soak till very soft. The sulphuric acid hastens the soaking 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHOULD KNO W. 453 

process. For tan liquor: To ten gallons warm soft water add bran, 
one-half bushel; stir well and let it ferment in a warm room. Then 
add slowly, sulphuric acid, two and one-half pounds; stir all the 
time. Muskrat skins should remain in about four hours; then take 
out and rub with a fleshing knife; an old choppmg knife with the edge 
taken off will do. Then work it over a beam until entirely dry. 

Tanning Woodchuck Skins. — The best way to tan woodchuck 
skins with the hair on is to sprinkle salt and alum on the hides, roll 
them up and let them lie until the salt is melted. To tan without the 
hair on, put the hides into a bucket of ashes and water, let it lie until 
the hair comes off fully, then take the hair off, then put it (the skin) 
into soft-soap, let it lie there until the lye eats the flesh off, then take 
it out and rub it dry over a smoke. Then you have a hide that can't 
be beat for toughness. 

Tan — to remove. — Tan may be removed from the face by mixing 
magnesia in soft water to the consistency of paste, which should then 
be spread on the face and allowed to remain for a minute or two; then 
wash off with castile soap-suds and rinse with soft water. 

Tape Worm. — To expel this parasite, take equal parts of tincture 
assafoetida and tincture absinthii, in teaspoonful doses, night and 
morning. No fasting is necessary. 

Tape Worm — cure for. — Take atone dose ether, two-third ounces; 
two hours after this take castor-oil, one ounce. The worm is dis- 
charged entire or almost so, and always with the head intact. 

Tar from the Hands — to remove. — We recommend rubbing the 
hands with the outside of fresh orange or lemon-peel and wiping dry 
immediately. It is astonishing what a small piece will clean. The 
volatile oil in the skins dissolve the tar, so that it can be wiped off. 

Tea — to increase the strength of. — A French chemist asserts 
that if tea be ground like coffee before hot water is poured upon it, it 
will yield nearly double the amount of its exhilarating qualities. 
Another writer says, if you put a piece of lump-sugar, the size of a 
walnut, into a teapot, you will make the tea infuse in half the time. 

Tea — how to make it go further. — A method has been discovered 
for making more than the usual quantity of tea from any given quan- 
tity of the leaf. The whole secret consists in steaming the leaf before 
steeping. By this process, it is said, fourteen pints of good quality 
may be brewed from one ounce of tea. 

Tea Cakes (Lemon). — Rub half a pound of butter into a pound of 
liquor; add half a pound of finely sifted sugar, grate the rind of two 
lemons and squeeze in the juice of one and two eggs Mix all well 
together, roll out the paste, cut into shapes, and bake in a slow oven. 

Tea-kettles — care of. — Prevent the formation of a crust in tea- 
kettles by keeping in them an oyster shell. 

Teeth — to care for. — While it is a fact that good and bad teeth 
are largely inherited, yet good ones may soon be injured by neglect. 
Not only as a matter of health should the teeth be preserved as far as 
possible, but for appearances. Nothing more detracts from the 



454 ^J^A T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

comeliness of a young -^man or woman than the display of teeth yel- 
low and black from neglect ; the better looking the person, the more 
glaring is this blemish. Parents are often greatly to blame in this 
respect. As soon as a child gets its permanent teeth he or she 
should be taught to use a tooth brush, with water, at least once a day. 
This would often save the child from much mortification and perhaps 
misery in after life. The use of a tooth brush, not too stiff, with 
water simply, morning and night, is all that most teeth require. If 
any acid fruits (lemons, oranges, etc.,) are partaken of between meals 
the mouth should be rinsed with a solution of soda-bicarbonate (com- 
mon cooking soda — one-half teaspoonful to one-half glass of water), 
to neutralize the acid, which would, if allowed to remain in contact 
with the teeth, corrode the enamel very rapidly. This is especially 
true of children's teeth. If tartar collects in spite of this, the use of 
castile soap (the white is preferable) upon the brush will generally 
answer. If something more is needed to keep the teeth clean, pre- 
pared chalk is one of the safest tooth powders. Avoid all tooth 
powders that are at all gritty. Some contain powdered pumice- 
stone, which will remove both the tartar and the enamel. In using 
the brush, it is equally as important to apply it to the back-side of the 
teeth as to the front, and instead of only moving it across the teeth, 
a part of the brushing should be from the gums upward and down- 
ward, to remove any particles that have lodged between them. 
Never use a metallic tooth-pick; a sliver of wood is preferable even to 
the quill so commonly used. No nostrum advertized to bleach the 
teeth should be used, as such dentifrices contain ingredients that are 
liable to exert deleterious effects upon these invaluable organs of mas- 
tication. Whenever decay is noticed in the teeth, go to the dentisl 
at once. 

Teeth — "ways to preserve. — i. Dissolve two ounces of borax in 
three pints of boiling water, and before it is cold add one teaspoon- 
ful of spirits of camphor ; bottle for use. Use a teaspoonful of this 
with an equal quantity of tepid water. 

2. Charcoal and honey, mixed together and used as a dentifrice, 
will whiten the teeth with a few applications. 

Teeth — acting of acids on. — All mineral as well as vegetable acid 
act promptly on the teeth. In forty-eight hours acetic, citric and 
malic acids will corrode the enamel so that you may scrape a great 
portion of it away with the finger nail. 

Teeth — to extract vtrith little or no pain. — Tincture of aconite, 
chloroform, and alcohol, of each one Ounce; mix, moisten two pled- 
gets of cotton with the liquid, and apply to the gums on each side of 
the tooth to be extracted, holding them in their place with pliers or 
other instruments for from five to ten minutes, rubbing the gum free- 
ly inside and out. 

Teeth — to fasten loose and strengthen the gums. — Dissolve one 
ounce of myrrh as much as possible in a pint of port wine and the 
same quantity of oil of almonds; wash the mouth with the fluid every 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W, 455 

morning. This is likewise an excellent remedy for worms in the 
gums. 

Teeth and Breath — how to care for. — With due attention to the 
health and thorough brushing of the teeth at least night and morn' 
ing, all that is needful to secure a sweet breath is to chew a bit of 
licorice after using the tooth brush. This will even counteract the 
effects of diseased breath, and does not convey the unpleasant, sug- 
gestions of cacohus and spice that are used to hide an offense. Lic- 
orice has no smell, but it actually sweetens the mouth and stomach. 
A stick of it should be chipped for use, and kept in a box for the 
toilet. 

A tincture for the teeth and gums which restores soundness to the 
latter, is an infusion of one ounce of coarsely powdered Peruvian 
bark steeped a fortnight in half a pint of brandy. Gargle the mouth 
night and morning with a teaspoonful of this tincture, diluted with an 
equal quantity of rose water. 

For decaying teeth make a balsam of two scruples of myrrh in fine 
powder, a scruple of juniper-gum, and ten grains of rock alum, 
mixed in honey. Apply this balsam frequently to the decayed teeth. 

Spite of all that is said against it, charcoal holds the highest place 
as a tooth powder. It has the property, too, of opposing putrefac- 
tion, and destroys the vices of the gums. It is most conveniently 
used when made into paste in honey. 

Teeth — to remove tartar from. — The tartar which so generally 
accumulates at the back of the teeth, forming often a thick crust, may 
speedily and effectually be removed by brushing it with a soft brush 
dipped in fresh flower of brimstone. After a few applications the 
tartar will crumble away. An excellent recipe. 

Telephone (Cheap) — to make. — Take a wooden tooth powder box 
and make a hole of about the size of a half crown in the lid and the bot- 
tom. Take a disc of tinned iron, such as can be had from a preserved 
meatt in, and place it on the outside of the bottom of the box, and fix 
the cover on the other side of it. Then take a small bar-magnet, place 
on one end a small cotton or silk reel, and round the reel wind some 
iron wire, leaving the ends loose. Fix one end of the magnet near, 
as near as possible without touching, to the disc, and then one part 
of the telephone is complete. A similar arrangement is needed for 
the other end. With this one can converse at a distance of about 
one hundred yards. 

Terrapins — to cook. — Boil them ten minutes, take them out of 
the water and pull off the outer shell. Then boil them again till the 
claws becomes tender. Then take them out of the inner sheH, being 
careful not to break the gall, which must be taken from the liver and 
thrown away; throw away all the spongy part — the rest is fit to eat. 
Cut the terrapin into small pieces, put them into a stew-pan with a 
little salt, cayenne pepper, and some butter. After they have stewed 
a few minutes in the butter, add a gill of water to each terrapin. 
Stew ten minutes longer, then add some butter rolled in flour, an- 



456 IVIIA T E VER V ONE SITO ULD KNO W. 

(Uhcr gill of water to each terrapin, and stew five minutes longer; 
take them from the fire, ami stir in one beaten yolk oi an egg to each 
terrapin; cover the pan tightly, let it stand five minutes, then pour 
into a deep dish and send to the table. 

Tempering Tools. — Drawing the temper of tools is usually done 
iti a charcoal llame, and to draw the temper of a tool properly it 
should be held in the thickest part, or the part not requiring any tem- 
per, toward the fire, and, in the meantime, should be often wiped 
with a piece of waste or rag, dipped in oil. The oil keeps the temper 
even, and prevents it drawing more to one place than another. And 
in drawing the temper of any tool it should be drawn very slowlj'-, 
otherwise it will run too far ere you are aware of it. Lancet blades 
and razors should be drawn to a straw color. Knife blades and 
chisels should be drawn to a copper or almost red color. Plane 
irons, shaving irons and shoemakers' knives the same temper; cold 
chisels and stone drills shoulii be drawn to a dark blue. Flinted 
reamers should only be tlrawn to a straw color, on the end, as they 
never break elsewhere, and keep their size longer by leaving the lips 
hard. Half round or tapering reamers, also taps, dies and drills, 
should be drawn to a straw color. Gauges and common lathe tools 
need no drawitig. being tempered enough when merely hardened. 

Tests for Good Flour. — Good flour is Avhite, with a yellowish or 
straw-coloreil tint. Squeeze some of the flour in your hand; if good, 
it will retain the shape given by pressure. Knead a little between 
your fingers; if it works soft and sticky, it is poor. Throw a little 
against a drv perpendicular surface; if it fall like powder; it is bad. 

Tetter — cure for. — Procure some strawberry leaves, and lay the 
outside or the woolly side of the leaf on the parts affected. They 
must be laid on very thick, and be changed occasionally. Thej' will 
draw owx intlammation and cine the disease. 

The Man Who Hurries. — The bustling hurrying man, as a matter 
v>{ fact, is a poor worker. Too much of his steam power is expended 
in kicking up dust. The habit of hurrying or feeling in a hurry is 
fatal to good work, and diminishes the amount of work a man can 
do. The friction is too great. So little of practical value is accom- 
plished that he cannot go home at night with a sweet consciousness 
of a duty done, of a day's work completed. 

The men who accomplish most never seem in a hurry, no matter 
how much they have to do. They are not troubled for lack of time, 
for they make the most of the minutes by working in a cool, method- 
ical manner, finishing each job properly, and not expending their 
nervous force in bustle. They never complain of overwork, but are 
more likely to hunt up new work in order to give their faculties more 
varied emiiloyment and to exercise some which are not suliiciently 
useil. 

Things to try. — Try popcorn for nausea. 

Try cranberries for malaria. 

Try a sun-bath for rheumatism. 



WIIA r K VER V ONE SI 10 ULD A' NO W, 457 

Try ginp^cr ale for stomach cramps. 

Try clam broth for a weak stomach. 

Try cranberry poultice for erysipelas. 

Try a wet towel to the back of the neck when sleepless. 

Try swallowinjj^ saliva when troubled with sour stomach. 

Try catintj fresh radishes and yellow turni[js for frravel. 

Try eating- onions and horseradish to relieve dropsical swellings. 

Try buttermilk for removal of freckles, tan, and butternut stains. 

Try taking your cod liver oil in tomato catsup, if you want to make 
it palatable. 

Try hard cider — a wine-glass three times a day — for ague and 
rheumatism. 

Try taking a nap in the afternoon if you are going to be out late 
in the evening. 

Try breathing the fumes of turi)entine or carbolic acid to remove 
whooping cough. 

Try a cloth wrung out ixoxw cold water put about the neck at night 
for sore throat. 

Try snuffing powdered borax up the nostrils for catarrhal " cold in 
the head." 

Try walking with your hands behind you if you find yourself be- 
coming bent forward. 

Try a silk handkerchief over the face when obliged to go against a 
cold piercing wind. 

Try planting sunflowers in your garden if compelled to live in a 
malarial district. 

Things Worth Knowing. — A man walks three miles an hour, a 
horse trots seven ; steamboats run eighteen, sailing vessels make ten; 
Slow rivers flow four, rapid rivers flow seven ; storms move thirty- 
six, hurricanes eighty ; a rifle ball one thousand miles a minute, 
sound eleven hundred and forty-three ; light one hundred and ninety 
thousand; electricity two hundred and eighty thousand. 

Wheat, beans, clover-seed, and potatoes, sixty pounds to the 
bushel; corn, rye, and flax seed, fifty-six; buckwheat, fifty-two; a bar- 
rel of rice, six hundred; barley, forty-eight; oats, thirty-five; coarse 
salt, eighty-five. 

A barrel of flour weighs one hundred and ninety-six pounds; a 
barrel of pork, two hundred; a barrel of powder, twenty-three; a fir- 
.kin of butler, fifty-six; a tub of butter, eighty-four. 

Four thousand eight hundred and forty square yards make an acre; 
a square mile, si hundred and forty acres; to measure an acre — two 
hundred and nine feet on each side, makes a square acre within an 
inch 

Thistles (Canada) — to kill. — The best way is to let them grow 
until they blossom, then cut them off near the top of the ground; the 
stalk will then be hollow; the water will get in the hollow and rot 
them, so they vn^III never sprout again. If they are cut off with a hoe 



458 WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

or plow, the ground will close over them, and there will come two 
sprouts for one. 

Throat (Sore) — remedies and treatment. — i. A lightly sore or 
irritated throat is usually relieved or cured by applying an irritant 
to the outside. " Volatile liniment " is good for this. It is made by 
shaking well together any amount of sweet oil with one-fourth to 
one-half its bulk of aqua ammonia, or "hartshorn " — the amount de- 
pending upon the strength of the ammonia. It is a good, cheap 
counter-irritant to keep on hand — well corked, using a new cork as 
the old one shrinks from the action of the ammonia. It is also use- 
ful to rub well on the chest when there is soreness in the muscles. 
Alcohol, or strong whisky, rubbed upon the throat (outside) as a 
counter-irritant, often relieves a sore throat, and the same of a sore 
chest. When using alcohol cover the part well and quickly to pre- 
vent a chill from the rapid- evaporation. Liniment, alcohol, hot 
water, or hot wet clothes, or mustard, on the outside of the abdomen 
tends to relive irritation of the bowels, on the general principle of 
counter-irritation above mentioned. 

2. For an inflamed sore throat or tonsils, a very good general 
remedy is to gargle the throat every hour or two with a teaspoonful 
of chlorate of potassa solution. It is well to keep in every house a 
good-sized phial of water with more chlorate of potassa in it than 
will dissolve. The clear liquid is then always of uniform strength, 
ready for use — a teaspoonful at a time, swallowing it after gurgling it 
against the inflamed tonsils. 

3. I have been for years troubled with throat and chest difhulties. 
In the fall I commenced bathing my chest, throat, and neck, as soon 
as I was up in the morning, with cold water, rubbing briskly after it. 
Have not had the slightest irritation of those parts since. I send 
you this hoping it will be of as much benefit to others as to me. 

4. A gargle of salt and vinegar, with a little cayenne pepper, will 
do more to disperse soreness of the throat than any other remedy of 
which we have heard. It stimulates the glands, promotes free secre- 
tion, and will sometimes cure in a few hours. 

5. A sore throat may come from a variety of causes, but most fre- 
quently from taking cold. In many persons the slightest chill is felt 
at once in the tonsils. A wet cloth around the neck, covered with a 
dry one, during the night, is often effective, if care be taken not to 
expose the throat to cold in the morning. Whenever there is red- 
ness or inflammation of the tonsils, or back of the mouth, a very 
simple remedy, usually effective, and in no case harmful, is a tea- 
spoonful of chlorate of potash solution, used as a gargle, and then 
swallowed. Repeat this every two or three hours as long as neces- 
sary. Chlorate of potash is cheap, is found at all druggists, and it 
is well to keep it on hand in solution. In a large phial, or small 
bottle of water, put as much chlorate of potash as Avill dissolve on 
shaking and standing, and the solution is always ready for use. A 
pint of cold water will dissolve about an ounce. Chlorate of potash 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W, 459 

contains nearly two-fifths of its weight of pure oygen, and this 
readily oxydizes any disorganized material, and is frequently useful 
to the whole system. 

Throat — hoarseness or thickling in. — Take a small quantity of 
dry pulverized borax, place it on the tongue, and let it slowly dis- 
solve and run down the throat. It is also good to keep the throat- 
moist at night and prevent coughing. 

Thyme — to grow. — Thyme will grow anywhere, but it prefers a 
dry, poor soil; if the ground is rich the plant will become too luxuri- 
ant and lose its aromatic qualities. 

Ticks for Feathers — how to clean. — Take a sheet and sew it up 
like a bag, leaving an opening at the top about half way across. 
Then proceed to rip open one end of the feather tick about the same 
number of inches, and sew the spaces together; that is, sew the 
feather tick to the bag, and then shake and work the feathers from 
the tick into the bag. When the tick is empty, sew up the opening 
that no down or feathers adhering to the inside of the tick may be 
lost in washing it. Pillow ticks serve in the same manner. If the 
ticks are badly soiled, soak them for a while in warm water before 
washing. Wash very thoroughly in the usual way, and rinse in sev- 
eral waters. Add starch to the last water, and dry speedily by hang- 
ing in the breeze some pleasant day. While slightly damp, iron. 
Return the feathers to the tick by sewing it to the sack as at first. 

A good way, and one that is coming into pretty general use, is to 
take some unbleached cotton and make cases for feather beds, after 
the manner of pillow cases, buttoning up the open ends. These cases 
can be removed and washed as often as necessary, and it is a safe 
way to protect a nice tick from being soiled. 

Tidy — to make. — i. The requisites are a ball of number fourteen 
tidy cotton, and a wooden frame about twenty inches square, with an 
inch sprigodriven half down in the center of each corner, and simi- 
lar^ones along the sides in line with these, and an inch apart. 

Fasten your cotton to the second side sprig, and weave from this 
sprig to the one directly opposite, passing round each sprig three or 
four times; then draw the thread to the next sprig and weave in the 
same manner. Continue this until you reach the second sprig from 
the side you are working toward. Now cross these threads in the 
same way from the other two sides, then cross with the same number 
of threads diagonally in both directions. You will then have on your 
frame four warps, each in different directions. With a needle and 
tidy cotton securely fasten, as they are every place where four sets of 
threads intersect, drawing the cotton from one to another. Cut the 
cotton at every sprig, and it is finished, except trimming the fringe a 
little. Made in this way they are serviceable, and less work than you 
would think. 

2. Pretty tidies, or chair-backs they are called now, of the pretty 
cretonnes so much used. Use three stripes, the center one dark, the 
outer two light. Turn the edges, and crochet an edge of shells all 



4(» > WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

around the stripe, making it pointed on the lower edge, and about 
three or four rows of shells around each stripe. Join together, finish 
the pointed ends with tassels, and baste silesia or muslin on the back 
of each stripe to make it firm. 

3. Quickly made tidies are of cretonne and velvet. Select a cre- 
tonne with narrow strips and of beautiful pattern. Alternate the 
strips, making the center one the largest, and graduating them in 
length to the outside. Point each one and attach a tassel, or make 
straight at the top and pointed at the bottom. Feather-stitch the vel- 
v&t down over the edges of the cretonne, and make the tassel of 
crewel, or purchase those already made. 

4. Tidies which can be washed are always useful. The following 
will be found pretty and inexpensive: Material, one square of Java 
canvas and one ball of No. 10 Dexter cotton, white. Commence at 
a corner, leave an inch and one-half each way for the fringe, button- 
hole stitch around the corner, taking three rows of threads; then do 
a row of slanting stitch, taking two rows of threads. Then draw out 
each way two double threads of the canvas. Then make the blocks 
fourteen double threads each way, and pull out three double threads 
each way, being careful not to draw it through the fringe, but cut it 
close to the slanting lines. To work the blocks, begin in the middle 
and pass the needle through the drawn threads and back into the 
middle each time, making five threads on each side of the block all 
around. Nine blocks square make a very pretty sized tidy. Draw 
your threads only as you go along. 

Timber and Wood Seasoning. — Timber changes but little in the 
process of seasoning in the direction of its length, but it shrinks con- 
siderably in the direction of its thickness. Much economy may be 
practiced, and great waste prevented, by builders having sheds of 
sufficient extent; the ventilation should be whole, and without partial 
draught, which might effect the ends or any portion of the drying 
wood more than another; and, as timber rots so much more rapidly 
by the ends than by the sides, the roof should hang well over to pro- 
tect them. The advantages of shedding wood are very evident, for, 
left exposed at one time to the scorching heat of a noonday sun, at 
another time to the effect of drenching rains, and in the winter split, 
shaken and riven by the freezing of the water which has insinuated 
itself into the pores, it has been found by those who deal largely with 
it that it needs but short work to destroy it.* 

Tin Cans (Old) — to utilize. — With a large pair of shears the cans 
may be treated as pieces of tin, and with a little ingenuity a bread 
grater, a rude dipper, a fruit gatherer, and a glue pot may be con- 
structed. 

But the most attractive articles are the bird-houses and flower-pots 
and stands. For the first the cans were dipped in a large pan of 
melted asphalt and then rolled in dry sand. This gives them a 
natural ground color, on which can be fastened while the asphalt is 
still warm the ordinary dry packing moss used by fiorists, wood 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 461 

mosses, short dry twigs, small cones and burrs, to give a picturesque 
effect. If the lid is still attached to the can by a bit of solder it can 
be left for a doorstep for the birds. The various ways of attaching 
the can to the tree will suggest themselves according to taste. 

A single can covered with birch bark and ornamented with burrs, 
acorns, etc., makes a pretty flower-pot; two partially telescoped, 
with a portion cut out of the side for the reception of the soil and 
plants, make a miniature log; three rows, placed one above another 
by means of different sized round boxes on a round table, make a 
very pretty stand. In all these cases the Cans, the boxes and the 
table should be well covered with asphalt and then ornamented ac- 
cording to taste with the materials before mentioned. The cans are 
useful in rockeries also; but these too must be thoroughly treated 
with the asphalt. 

Tinware — to scour. — For scouring tins, cement (water-lime) is 
most excellent. Rub with a damp cloth dipped in the cement, then 
wash off with soap and water and dry thoroughly; then with a dry 
woolen cloth polish with the cement and rub off all adhering parti- 
cles with another cloth. This method is much more satisfactory than 
if the ware is merely scoured without polishing, while it is really very 
little work to one who knows exactly how to do it, and instead of 
running about to hunt up cloths, have them hung in a convenient place 
ready for use. 

Tinware — to clean. — Acids should never be employed to clean 
tinware, because they attack the metal and remove it from the iron 
of which it forms a thin coat. Rub the articles first with rotten-stone 
and sweet oil, then finish with whitening and a piece of soft leather. 

Tinw^are — to mend by the heat of a candle. — Take a vial about 
two-thirds full of muriatic acid and put into it little bits of sheet zinc 
as long as it dissolves them; then put in a crumb of sal ammoniac, 
and fill up with water, and it is ready to use. Then, with the cork of 
the vial, wet the place to be mended with the preparation; then put 
a piece of sheet zinc over the h(;le, and hold a lighted candle or spirit 
lamp under the place, which melts the solder on the tin and causes 
the zinc to adhere without further trouble. Wet the zinc also with 
the solution, or a little solder may be put on instead of the" zinc, or 
with the zinc. 

Tinware — to prevent rusting. — To keep tinware from rusting, 
riib it over with melted beeswax. Tins that have become old and 
dingy looking can be made to look as bright as new by rubbing them 
well with a moist flannel dipped in saleratus. Afterward rub briskly 
with newspaper. Baking-tins should never be scoured, as they bake 
much better after they become brown. 

Tin Vessels — to clean thoroughly. — To tell whether tin vessels 
are perfectly clean or not, slide the finger carefully over them, and if 
they are the least bit slippery you may be sure they have not been 
properly washed. They should be subjected to a heat that will cut 
the grease out of them, and nothing but the hottest kind of watet or 



462 WIIA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

steam will do this. For cleaning dairy implements, put no trust in 
patent compounds; just see that the water used is hot, and that it re- 
mains hot until the last article is washed. 

Toads are Useful. — Toads, according to Professor Miles, live 
almost entirely upon slugs, caterpillars, beetles and other insects, 
making their rounds at night, when the farmer is asleep — and the 
birds, too — and the insects are supposed to be having their own way. 
French farmers understand these facts so well that they purchase 
toads, at so much a dozen, and turn them loose. 

Toast (French). — i. To one ^%% thoroughly beaten put one cup of 
sweet milk and a little salt. Slice light bread, and dip into the mixt- 
ure, allowing each slice to absorb some of the milk; then brown on 
a hot buttered griddle, spread with butter, and serve hot. 

2. Beat four eggs very light and stir with them one part of milk; 
slice some nice white bread, dip the pieces into the &%^ and milk, 
then lay them into a pan of hot butter and fry brown. Sprinkle a 
little powdered sugar and cinnamon or nutmeg on each piece, and 
serve hot. 

Toast (German). — A capital dish for breakfast or tea, or for des- 
sert, is the following: Into a pint of milk stir three well-beaten eggs, 
with two tablespoonfuls of flour and one of sugar, being careful to 
keep out all lumps. Soak in this, until saturated, medium thick slices 
of light bread; baker's bread is usually preferable, unless the home- 
made is light and porous. Have ready, hot, a spider or frying-pan, 
with just enough butter to prevent sticking. Fry to a golden brown; 
remove the slices, butter them, and sift on powdered sugar. Pile 
together, cover, and keep warm until served. Properly made, this is 
delicious, nutritious and easily digested, if too much butter be not 
used. 

The same, with Sauce. — The above is preferred by some with 
sauce, instead of butter and sugar, thus: For two or three persons, 
rub well together two tablespoonfuls of butter, one teaspoonful of 
flour, and half teacupful of sugar, more if preferred. Stir this first 
with a little cold water, and then with a full cup of hot water, and 
boil. Then flavor to taste with lemon, vanilla or rosewater. This 
sauce is, to our taste, improved by stirring into it, just before taking 
from the fire, the whole of an egg beaten to a froth. Serve this with 
the toast, or the pieces may be dipped into it, laid together, covered, 
and kept warm until wanted, ♦ 

Toast (Ham). — i. Scrape or pound some cold ham; mix it with 
beaten egg; season with pepper; lay it upon buttered toast, and place 
it in a hot oven for three or four minutes. Dried salmon, smoked 
tongue, potted meats, or any other relishing viands, answer equally 
well upon toast. 

2. A ham or tongue toast is very nearly perfect if served in this 
way: Cut some slices of cither and mince veiy fine, season with pep- 
per and salt, add a few drops of Harvey's or Worcestershire sauce, 
lake a small lump of butter and a little cream, and with a silver spoon 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 463 

incorporate the whole; scald and mince a tiny bunch of fresh parsley, 
spread the whole paste, ham, etc., together on squares of toast cut 
very thin; sift fine bread-crumbs over the whole, and brown. Potted 
meat or grouse or chicken may be served in the same way, but these 
need red pepper to make them sufficiently savory. 

Toast and Water. — This is the most wholesome, and, if properly 
made, palatable drink for children and invalids. Toast two or three 
thin slices of bread thoroughly, until they are quite dry and of a red- 
brown color — not burned. Pour boiling water on them, and add a 
small piece of lemon peel. When cold, strain off into a jug for use. 

Tobacco — to cure. — Several years' experience has convinced me 
that tobacco can be scaffolded to advantage, allowing it to take the 
dew and sun after culling; this induces it to yellow nicel}'^, and neces- 
sitates less firing to cause a rich color than when taken directly from 
the field to the house. I don't believe in trying to cure black or 
fancy color, however, but stick to old-fashioned ways, and keep up 
moderate fires to prevent house-turn. The color comes out all 
right. 

Tobacco — to cultivate. — To raise tobacco, select a sheltered situa- 
tion, where the young plants can receive the full force of the sun; 
burn over the surface of the ground early in spring (new land is best), 
rake it well, and sow the seeds; have a dry, mellow, rich soil, and 
after a shower, when the plants have got leaves the size of a quarter- 
dollar, transplant as you would cabbage plants, three and one-half 
feet apart, and weed out carefully afterward. Break off the suckers 
from the foot-stalks, as they appear; also the tops of the plants when 
they are well advanced, say about three feet high, except those de- 
signed for seed, which should be the largest and best plants. The 
ripeness of tobacco is known by small dusky spots appearing on the 
leaves. The plants should then be cut near the roots, on the morn- 
ing of a day of sunshine, and should lie singly to wither. When 
sufficiently withered, gather them carefully together, and hang them 
up under cover to cure and prepare for market. 

Tobacco — fertilizer for. — Add forty pounds of the best Peruvian 
guano to each one hundred pounds of 'the superphosphate made by 
the above recipe, and you will have one of the most powerful fer- 
tilizers for tobacco that can be made. If you do not have Peruvian 
guano, use instead thirty pounds of hen manure to each one hundred 
pounds of superphosphate. 

Toe-nails (Ingrowing). — To cure ingrowing toe-nails, one author- 
ity says, put a small piece of tallow in a spoon, heat its^ipntil it be- 
comes very hot, and pour on the granulations. Pain and tenderness 
are relieved at once. 

Toilet Hints. — To soften the hands, fill a wash-basin half full of 
fine, white sand and soap-suds as hot as can be borne. Wash the 
hands in this five minutes at a time, washing and rubbing them in the 
sand. The best is the flint-sand, or the whito, powdered quartz sold 
for flitters. It may be used repeatedly by pom-ing the water av/ay^ 



464 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

after each washing, and adding fresh to keep it from blowing about. 
Rinse in warm lather of fine soap, and, after drying, rub them with 
dry bran or cornmeal. Dust them, and finish with rubbing cold 
cream well into the skin. This effectually removes the roughness 
caused by housework, and should be used every day, first removing 
ink or vegetable stains with acid. 

A good freckle lotion for the cure of freckles, tan, or sun-burned 
face or hands is made thus: Take half a pound of clear ox-gall, half 
a dram each of camphor and burned alum, one dram of borax, two 
ounces of rock-salt, and the same of rock-candy. This should be 
mixed and shaken well several times a day for three weeks until the 
gall becomes transparent; then strain it very carefully through filter- 
ing-paper, which may be had of the druggist. Apply to the face dur- 
ing the day and wash off at night. 

A very agreeable dentifrice for good teeth is made from an ounce 
of myrrh in fine powder, and a little powdered green sage mixed with 
two spoonfuls of white honey. A druggist will make up the com- 
pound, and the teeth should be washed with it every morning and 
night. 

Toilet Mats. — Very pretty and useful toilet mats may be made of 
white enameled cloth, cut in sizes or shapes to suit the fancy. Punch 
small holes an eighth of an inch from the edge and the same distance 
apart. Into these crochet a border of colored split zephyr, using 
white knitting cotton of suitable size for the outer scallop, which 
should be edged with worsted. 

Tomatoes (Baked). — Wash the tomatoes, take out the seed, make 
a dressing of crumbs of bread and onions chopped fine; add salt, but- 
ter and pepper. Bake and serve hot. 

Tomatoes (Stewed). — Scald the tomatoes with hot water, take off 
the skins, put them in an earthen vessel, strain off the water, and add 
butter, salt and pepper to taste. 

Tomatoes — how to keep. — Tomatoes picked when just ripe, and 
with a portion of the stems retained, and at once covered with a brine 
composed of a teacup of salt dissolved in a gallon of water, can be 
kept nearly all the year without noticeable loss of freshness of taste. 

Tomatoes — to can. — Place thoroughly ripe and sound tomatoes, a 
few at a time, in a kettle of boiling water. As soon as the skins 
crack, remove and peel the fruit, cutting out the hard stem part. Put 
the tomatoes iuto a porcelain or granite-lined kettle and boil steadily 
until the ^tery juice has evaporated. Add for each gallon one 
heaping taolespoonful of salt, and one-half teaspoonful of cayenne 
pepper. Dip a coarse cloth in hot water, remove the rubber from the 
jar, dip it in hot water, and replace it on the jar, lightly wring your 
cloth, wrap it around the jar, set it in a pail or basin, with the surplus 
corners of the cloth under the jar, insert the canning funnel in the 
mouth of the jar, and with a common water dipper, fill the jar full of 
the boiling fruit. Put on the cover, screw it down tightly, and set the 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO IV. 465 

jar on a dry cloth, out of the draft to cool. When nearly cold, 
tighten the cover down once more. 

I keep my fruit in a cool, dark, dry cellar, in a board cupboard, 
resting on the ground. I have put up tomatoes after the foregoing 
rule for seven or eight years, and do not remember losing a single 
jar. I have always considered them one of the easiest of fruits to 
keep. 

Tomatoes — how to grow in cities. — One of my neighbors in- 
formed me of his success in raising tomatoes, as follows : First, he 
filled a barrel nearly full of rich earth (I should think scrapings of the 
city streets would be good), placed one tomato plant in the center of 
it, covered the head of the barrel with a cloth, allowing the plant to 
grow through the cloth, set a pan or some measure with a small hole 
in the bottom on one side of the barrel, and fiill the pan with water 
every morning; enough leaked into the barrel to supply the plant, 
the cloth keeping it from drying up. My informant said he raised 
enough from one plant to supply a family of four persons all the to- 
mato season. I should think the above plan could be made practical 
on the sunny side of many city houses. 

Tomatoes — the medicinal properties of. — To many persons there 
is something unpleasant, not to say offensive, in the flavor of this 
excellent fruit. It has, however, long been used for culinary pur- 
poses in various countries of Europe. Dr. Bennet, a professor of 
some celebrity, considers it an invaluable article of diet, and ascribes 
to it very important medicinal properties. He declares, first, that 
the tomato is one of the most powerful deobstruent of the materia 
medica; and that, in all those affections of the liver and other organs 
where calomel is indicated, it is probably the most effective and least 
harmful remedial agent known in the profession ; second, that a 
chemical extract can be obtained from it which will altogether super- 
cede the use of calomel in the cure of diseases; third, that he has suc- 
cessfully treated diarrhoea with this article alone. That when 
used as an article of diet, it is almost a sovereign remedy for dyspep- 
sia and indigestion. 

Tonic. — The following is the tonic used by reformed drunkards to 
restore the vigor of the stomach: Take of gentian root, half an 
ounce; valerian root, one dram; best rhubarb root, two drams; bitter 
orange peel, three drams; cardamon seeds, half an ounce, and cina- 
mon bark, one dram. Having bruised all the above together in a 
mortar (the druggist will do it if requested), pour upon it one and a 
half pints of boiling water and cover up close; let it stand till cold ; 
strain, bottle, and cork securely; keep it in a dark place. Two table- 
spoonfuls may be taken every hour before meals, and half that quan- 
tity whenever the patient feels that distressing sickness and prostra- 
tion so generally present for some time after alcoholic stimulants have 
been abandoned. 

Tonic Aperient. — Epsom salts, one ounce; diluted sulphuric acid, 
one dram; infusion of quassia chips, half an imperial pint; compound 



466 WHA T E VER V ONE SHOULD KNO W. 

tincture of rhubarb, two drams. Half a wineglassful for a dose twice 
a day. 

Toothache Remedies. — i. As toothache is nowadays an inevitable 
accompaniment of teeth, it is well to know what to do for it. Oil of 
cloves on a bit of cotton wool is good to insert in the cavity and after 
a little, when it seems to lose its virtue in that particular place, it is 
well to mix it with an equal quantity of oil of cinnamon, oil of pep- 
permint, or creosote. It is best to swallow as little as possible of 
these fiery liquids; therefore the cotton should be pressed quite dry 
before applying to the aching nerve. It sometimes occurs that the 
pain in that special tooth will stop, but a sound one, or the ear or 
temple will ache harder than the decayed tooth. This plainly shows 
that neuralgia, and medicine are needed which will quiet the nerves 
before relief can be expected, although temporary ease may be ob- 
tained by applying to the face a mustard plaster or a succession of 
cloths wrung from hot water, or, better still, a solution of hops and 
vinegar, or as some people advise, a warm and moist buckwheat 
cake, well sprinkled with cayenne pepper. 

2. The mother whose child suffers from toothache must find a cor- 
ner in the medicine chest for a vial of powdered alum saturated with 
sweet spirits of niter. This mixture put in the cavity, if there is one, 
or rubbed on the gum, if there is not, will give immediate ease. 

3. The worst toothache, or neuralgia coming from the teeth, may 
be speedily cured by the application to the defective tooth of a bit of 
cotton saturated with ammonia. 

4. A little horseradish scraped and laid on the irrisi of the side af- 
fected, will in many cases give speedy relief. Another way is to 
place a little scraped horseradish in the mouth, or the tooth, and just 
around the gum. It relieves rheumatic pains in the gums and face 
also. The mouth may afterward be rinsed with a little camphorated 
water, luke-warm. 

5. Six parts of sal volatile and three of laudanum, mixed, Apply 
to the tooth with lint. 

6. Powdered gum camphor, one ounce; chloral hydrate, one ounce. 
Rub them together in a wedgewood mortar until they liquefy. Apply 
to the cavity on a small piece of cotton. 

Tooth-bleeding — to stop. — For bleeding at cavity of extracted 
tooth: Pack the alveolus full and firmly with cotton wet with alum 
water. 

Tooth Powders. — i. One dram of pulverized charcoal, one dram of 
pulverized orris root, one dram of pulverized castile soap, six grains 
of pulverized camphor, and a sufficient quantity of alcohol. Powder 
the soap, then mix in the camphor reduced to a stiff paste with alco- 
hol, then add the orris root and charcoal. If it is liked, bergamot or 
oil of sassafras can be added as a flavor. 

2. Take one-half ounce of powdered chalk, one-half ounce of cream 
of tartar, one dram of powdered myrrh, one dram of orris root, and 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO IV. 467 

two drams of powdered bark. Mix all together and bottle it, keeping 
it closed. 

3. Burn some rock alum, beat it in a mortar, and sift it fine; then 
take some rose-pink, mix well together to make it of a pale red color; 
add a little powder of myrrh, and put into bottles for use. 

4. Six ounces prepared chalk, one-half ounce cassia powder, one 
ounce orris; mix well. Put in small pots and label. 

Tortoise Shell — to solder. — Bring the edges of the pieces of shell 
to fit each other, observing to give the same inclination or grain to 
each, then secure them in a piece of paper, and place them between 
hot irons or pincers; apply pressure, and let them cool. The heat 
must not be so great as to burn the shell, therefore try it first on a 
white piece of paper. 

Towel — to fringe. — Towels are fringed by raveling out a little of 
the edges and loosely sewing over the threads which end the fringe. 
Many people prefer this mode to hemming them. 

Transparencies on Silk. — In order to prepare a piece of silk for 
painting upon, let it be stretched in a frame, and then washed with 
strong alum water. Let it dry thoroughly after this, and then apply 
a wash of isinglass dissolved in water. This will give a body to the 
silk and prevent the colors from running into each other. The bet- 
ter the quality of silk — that is, the closer the texture — the more easily 
may you paint upon it. Next draw the design upon the silk with a 
crayon or charcoal, and paint with transparent colors mixed in oils 
or varnish. For painting screens which need not be transparent, use 
body colors, either water or oils, varnishing over when dry with 
white varnish. 

Trappers' and Anglers' Secret for Game and Fish. — A few drops 
of oil of anise, or oil rhodium, on any trapper's bait will entice any 
wild animal into the snare trap. India cockle mixed with flour dough 
and sprinkled on the surface of still water will intoxicate fish, render- 
ing them insensible; when coming up to the surface they can be 
lifted in a tub of fresh water to revive them, when they may be used 
without fear. Fish may also be caught in large numbers during the 
winter season by watching them through the ice and striking it with 
a mallet directly over where they happen to be. The shock stuns 
them, and they will rise, belly upward, toward the surface, when they 
are easily secured by breaking a hole in the ice. 

Trap — for rats and mice. — Rats and mice will go into a trap much 
more readily if a piece of looking-glass is put in any part of the trap 
where they can see themselves. They are social little creatures, and 
where they can see any of their tribe, there they will go. 

Trees — to prevent mildew on. — The best preventive against mil- 
dew is to keep the plant subject to it occasionally syringed with a 
decoction of elder leaves, which will prevent the fungus growing on 
them. 

Trees — to ascertain the height. — To ascertain the height of an 
object a peculiar method of measurement is in use among the Isthmus 



468 JVIIA T E VER V ONE SHOULD KNO W. 

Indians. In measuring the height of a tree, for instance, a man pro- 
ceeds from its base to a point where, on turning the back toward it, 
and putting the head between the legs, he can just see the top; at the 
spot where he is able to do this he makes a mark on the ground, and 
then paces the distance to the base of the tree; this distance is equal 
to the height. 

Tree of Lead. — Dissolve an ounce of sugar of lead in a quart of 
clean water, and put it into a glass decanter or globe. Then suspend 
in the solution, near the top. a small piece of zinc of an irregular 
shape. Let it stand undisturbed for a day and it will begin to shoot 
out into leaves and apparently to vegetate. If left undisturbed for a 
few days it Avill become extremely beautiful; but it must be moved 
with great caution. It may appear to those unacquainted vvith 
chemistry that the piece of zinc actually puts out leaves; but this is a 
mistake, for, if the zinc be examined, it will be found nearly unal- 
tered. This phenomenon is owing to the zinc having a greater at« 
traction for oxygen than the lead has; consequently, it takes it from 
the oxyde of lead, which reappears in its metallic state. 

Trichina, — Trichina is the term applied to a minute, slender and 
transparent worm, scarcely one-twentieth of an inch in length, which 
has recently been discovered to exist naturally in the muscles of 
swine, and is frequently transferred to the human stomach when 
pork is used as food. Enough of these filthy parasites have been de- 
tected in half a pound of pork to engender thirty millions more, the 
females being very prolific, each giving birth to from sixty to one 
hundred young, and dying soon after. The young thread-like worm 
at first ranges freely through the stomach and intestines, remaining 
for a short time within the lining membrane of the intestines, causing 
irritation, diarrhea and sometimes death, if present in sufficient num- 
bers. As they become stronger, they begin to penetrate the walls of 
the intestines in order to effect a lodgment in the voluntary muscles, 
causing intense muscular pain and severe enduring cramps, and 
sometimes tetanic symptoms. After four weeks migration they 
encyst themselves permanently on the muscular fiber, and begin to 
secrete a delicate sac which gradually becomes calcareous. In this 
torpid state they remain during the person's lifetime. 

Tricopherous for the Hair. — Take of pure castor oil six ounces; 
alcohol (ninety-five per cent.), ten ounces; oil bergamot, I dram; oil 
lavender, one dram. Shake well together. This is a very agreeable 
and most excellent preparation for the hair, serving to soften it, stim- 
ulate its growth and keep it glossy. 

Tripe for Convalescents. — Take about one pound of fresh 
(dressed) tripe; wash it in cold water and cut it in square pieces; take 
out nearly all the fat; put it into a bright stew-pan, with half a tea- 
spoonful of salt, the same of sifted sugar and of fresh-made mustard, 
and a pint of milk; boil up slowly, skim, and then simmer gently for 
three hours; skim and stir frequently to prevent the trjpe burning to 
the bottom; mix a small desert-spoonful of Oswego flour with a 



WIIA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 469 

wineglassful of cold milk, and stir in; simmer five minutes; take up 
the trip^. place on a hot dish, pour the sauce over, and serve imme- 
diately. 

Troches (Brown's Bronchial). — Take one pound of pulverized ex- 
tract of licorice; one pound and a half of pulverized suzar; four ounces 
of pulverized cubebs; four ounces of pulverized gum arable; one 
ounce of pulverized extract conium. Mix. 

Troches (Cough). — One ounce Spanish licorice, two ounces re- 
fined sugar, two drams finely-powdered gum arable, and extract 
opium, one scruple. Beat the whole together with mucilage of gum 
tragacanth, make into small troches, to be dissolved in the mouth 
when the cough is troublesome. 

Tumors — to remove. — Dr. Simpson introduces a hollow acupunc- 
ture needle, or very fine trocar (a surgical instrument in the form of 
a fine hollow needle) into their tissue, and injects a few drops of some 
irritant liquid, such as a solution of chloride of zinc, percholorde of 
iron, or creosote. The effect is to destroy the vitality of the tumors so 
treated, and admit of separating them. 

Turkey's Carcass — how to devil. — Cut all the meat off the carcass 
and bones, then place these pieces inside the carcass, together with 
jellied gravy and stuffing, if there is any. Place in a hot pan, which 
put in a hot oven. Ten or fifteen minutes will suffice to heat 
it through. Serve it as it comes from the oven, in the carcass, 
which you can garnish on the outside with celery tops and parsley. 
Every household should always have on hand some good stock soup, 
and they can readily have it if they keep fluid beef in the house. 
This should be reduced to the desired strength, and the carcass of 
the turkey basted with it while in the oven, which will form a nice 
gravy. 

Turkey — to choose. — In choosing poultry the age of the bird is 
the chief point to be attended to. An old turkey has rough and red- 
dish legs; a young one smooth and black. Fresh killed, the eyes are 
full and clear, and the feet moist. When it has been kept too long, 
the parts about the vent begin to wear a greenish, discolored appear- 
ance. 

Turkeys — to fatten. — An old turkey-raiser gives an account of an 
experiment in fattening turkeys, as follows: Four turkeys were fed 
on meal, boiled potatoes, and oats. Four others of the same brood 
were also at the same time confined in another pen and fed daily on 
the same article, but with one pint of very finely pulverized charcoal 
in their pen. The eight were killed on the same day, and there was 
a difference of one and one-half pounds each in favor of the fowls 
which had been supplied with charcoal, they being much the fatter, 
and the meat being greatly superior in point of tenderness and fla- 
vor. 

Turkey — to roast. — After thoroughly cleaning and singeing with a 
lighted newspaper, prepare a stuffing of pounded crackers, salt, pep- 
per, butter, white of eggs, sage, and sweet marjoram; fill the turkey 



470 IFIIA T E VER V ONE SHOULD KNO W. 

and sew it up tighly; rub it with salt and flour; pour half a pint oi 
water into the pan ; put in the turkey, and let it roast gradually at 
first. The wings and legs should be tied down tightly to the body, 
A large turkey of twelve or fourteen pounds will requirfc four hours 
gentle roasting and constant basting with flour and water. Boil the 
heart, liver and gizzard in a little water until tender; mash the liver 
and slice thin the heart and gizzard; add all these to the gravy in the 
saucepan; thicken a little with flour and season with salt and pepper. 
Serve with cranberry jelly and Oyster sauce. 

Turpentine — how to use. — When turpentine is to be used as an 
outward application, after the manner of a poultice, to allay pain or 
inflammation, it should be sprinkled upon a piece of flannel which 
has been dipped in boiling water, and wrung out as quickly as possi- 
ble to preserve the heat. 

Twist Drill— to forge. — It is necessary to forge a flat blade similar 
to a flat drill, and then twist this blade into the resemblance required; 
then, with a light hammer, and careful blows, hammer the twisted 
edges so that they will be thicker than the central line of the tool. 
This will give greater strength and a better drill, and to cut well, the 
central line or cutting point must be made quite thin. Be careful to 
get the same twist at the point of the drill as upon the body of the 
drill. The inexperienced often leave the point straight like a flat 
drill. 

Typhoid — specific for. — Coffee is said, by Doctor Guillasse, of the 
French navy, to be almost a specific in the early stages of typhoid 
fever. He gives to adults two or three tablespoonfuls of strong black 
coffee every two hours, alternating with one or two teaspoonfuls of 
claret or Burgundy wine. The beneficial effect is immediate. A lit- 
tle lemonade or citrate of magnesia should be given daily, and after 
a while quinine. 

Ulcers — to cure. — Here is a recipe that will cure any sore on man 
or beast that has ulcerated. Take two and one-half drams of blue- 
stone, four drams alum, six drams loaf sugar, one dram sugar of 
lead, one tablespoonful honey. Put all into a bottle, put in one pint 
of vinegar; shake it three or four times a day, untjl they are dis- 
solved and it is ready for use. Pour some of it out and add water 
when you first apply to any sore, as it makes it smart at the first ap- 
plication; apph^ three times a day. 

Upholstery (Faded) — to restore. — Beat the dust out thoroughly, 
and afterward brush them; then apply to them a strong lather of 
Castile soap, by means of a hard brush; wash the lalher off with 
clear water, and afterward wash them with alum water. When dry, 
the colors will be restored to their original freshness. When the 
colors have faded beyond recovery, they may be touched with a pen- 
cil dipped in water-colors of a suitable shade, mixed with gum- 
water. 

Uterine Hemorrhage — unfailing cure. — Sugar of lead, ten grains; 
ergot, ten grains; opium, three grains; ipecac, one grain; all pulvcr- 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 471 

ized, and well mixed. Dose, ten to twelve grains; given in a little 
honey or syrup. 

In very bad cases after childbirth, it might be repeated in thirty 
minutes, or the dose increased to fifteen or eighteen grains; but in 
cases of rather profuse wasting, repeat it once at the end of three 
hours, or as the urgency of the case may require. 

In every case of female debility make a liberal use of iron, as the 
want of iron in the system is often the cause of the trouble. Mix 
fine iron filings with as much ground ginger. Dose, half of a tea- 
spoon three times daily in a little honey or molasses, increasing or 
lessening the dose to produce a blackness of the stools. Continue 
this course until well. 

Urine — stoppage of. — Symptoms: Frequent attempts to urinate, 
looking round at his sides, lying down, rolling and stretching. To 
cure, take one-half pound of hops, three drams of oil of camphor; 
grind and mix. Make this into three pills. Give one every day, 
with a drench made of a small spoonful of saltpeter and two ounces 
of water. This will cure as a general thing. 

Vanilla Extract — to make. — i. For extract of vanilla use four 
ounces of vanilla beans, two ounces of Tonka beans, four ounces of 
sugar, one-half pint of French brandy, two ounces of glycerine, and 
three and one-half pints of dilute alcohol. Split the vanilla beans, 
and cut them in fine pieces, and powder with four ounces of white 
sand. Powder the Tonka without sand; mix them all together, and 
filter through filter paper. The vanilla is a very complicated ex- 
tract to make, and very few outside of a drug-store could make it, 
but you have the recipe. 

2. For vanilla, I take for an eight ounce bottle eight Tonka beans, 
split them in two, soak in two tablespoonfuls of warm water over 
night, and fill up with alcohol. It takes longer to make, but it will 
last a long time. 

Vanities. — Beat two eggs light; pinch of salt, teaspoonful of flavor- 
ing, add enough flour to make a stiff dough, roll thin on a sheet of 
brown paper cut in squares about two inches wide by three in length, 
fry quickly in hot lard — they are scarcely in before they must be 
turned or taken' out — sprinkle with powdered sugar. Nice for tea 
or dessert. 

Varnish and Starch Gloss (Aqueous) — to prepare. — It is most 
simply and rapidly prepared by shaking a saturated solution of borax 
with powdered shellac without heat. One part of shellac is soluble 
in two parts of a saturated solution of borax, after frequent shaking 
during two or three days. In three parts, however, it is easily solu- 
ble. The bleached shellac must be preserved under water, and must 
be dissolved immediately after being powdered; for, if it is allowed to 
be exposed to the air in a powdered condition for several days, it will 
either not dissolve at all, or only with great difficulty. If a higher 
temperature than fifty or sixty degrees Centigrade is used in prepar- 
ing the varnish, it is apt to assume a faint reddish color, the cause of 



472 WIIA T £ VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

which I have vainly tried to ascertain. The finished varnish, how* 
ever, bears heat very well. Now this varnish may not only be used 
for rendering pictures, maps, prints, etc., glossy, but it is a most ex- 
cellent starch-gloss, and its preparation would, therefore, be also re- 
munerative for many pharmacists. In fact this varnish is much more 
appropriate and serviceable for this purpose than all other known 
commercial starch glosses. 

Varnish for Bookbinders. — Shellac, eight parts; gum benzoin, 
three parts; gum mastic, two parts; bruise and digest in alcohol, 
forty-eight parts; oil of lavender, one-half part; or, digest shellac, 
four parts' gum mastic, two parts; gum dammer and white turpen- 
tine, of each, one part; with alcohol (ninety-five per cent.) twenty- 
eight parts. 

Varnish for Boilers. — Asphaltum dissolved in turpentine. 

Varnish (Black) for Chip and Straw Hats. — Best alcohol, four 
ounces; pulverized black sealing-wax. one ounce; put them into a 
phial, and put the phial into a warm place, stirring or shaking occa- 
sionally until the wax is dissolved. Apply it when warm before the 
fire or in the sun. This makes a beautiful gloss. 

Varnish (Black) for Coal Buckets. — Asphaltum. one pound; 
lamp-black, one-quarter pound; resin, one-half pound; spirits of tur- 
pentine, one quart; Dissolve the asphaltum and resin in the turpentine, 
then rub up the lamp-black with linseed oil, only sufficient to form a 
paste, and mix with the other. Apply with a brush. 

Varnish for Faded Rubber Goods. — Black Japan varnish diluted 
with a little linseed oil. 

Varnish for Fancy Work. — An excellent varnish for hanging bas- 
kets, or for leather work, is made of half a pound of asphaltum in one 
pint of turpentine. Let it stand over night before using. Card- 
receivers and watch-receivers can be made of buiternut shells and 
varnished with this preparation. It is useful also for cones and 
acorns. 

Varnish for Frames, etc. — Lay the frames over with tin or silver 
foil by means of plaster of Paris, glue or cement of some kind, that 
the foil may be perfectly adherent to the wood; then apply your gold 
lacquer varnish, which is made as follows: Ground tamarac, one 
pound; powdered gamboge, one and a half ounces; powdered sandar- 
ac, three and a half pounds; powdered shellac, three-quarters o( a 
pound; spirits of wine, two gallons; dissolve and strain; then add 
turpentine varnish, one pint, and it is ready for use. 

Varnish (French) for Boots and Shoes. — Ingredients: Three- 
quarters of a pint of spirits of wine, five pints of any cheap while 
wine, one-half pound of gum Senegal powdered, si.x ounces of loaf 
sugar, two ounces of powdered galls, four ounces of green copperas, 
one-half pint of strong decoction of logwood. Dissolve the sugar 
and gum in the white wine, and afterwards strain it into a pipkin; add 
the spirits of wine; set ihe pipkin over a slow fire; let the contents get 
quite hot, but be very careful that it does not boil. Put in the galls, 



WIIA T E VER V ONE SIIO ULD KNO IV. 473 

copperas, and logwood, and continue stirring it on the fire for five 
minutes. When somewhat cool, pass it through a muslin strainer, 
and bottle it for use. Apply it to the leather with a soft brush, and 
leave it dry. 

Varnish for Harness. — Alcohol, one gallon; white turpentine, one 
and a half pounds; gum shellac, one and a half pounds; Venice tur- 
pentine, one gill. Let them stand by the stove till the gums are 
dissolved, then add sweet oil, one gill, and color it if you wish with 
lampblack, two ounces. This will not crack like the old varnish. 

Harness Oil. — Neat's-foot oil, one gallon, lampblack, 'four ounces. 
Mix well. 

Varnish (Waterproof) for Harness. — India-rubber, one-half 
pound; spirits of turpentine, one gallon; dissolve to a jelly; then take 
hot linseed oil equal parts with the mass, and incorporate them well 
over a slow fire. 

Varnish for Iron and Steel. — A cheap black varnish for polished 
iron and steel is made with ten parts of oil of tar and one part 
of sulphur. This mixture, of a deep brown color, is applied with a 
fine hair brush, and then dried at a gas flame until the varnish be- 
comes quite black. 

Varnish (Jet Black). — To make a jet black varnish that can be 
Used for furniture or for small wood-handles, that will make them 
smooth and shining and hard and solid, so that they will not get dim 
by handling or lose their gloss, take of asphaltum, three ounces ; 
boiled lard, four quarts; burnt umber, eight ounces, and enough oil 
of turpentine to thin. The three first must be mixed by the aid of 
heat, and the turpentine gradually added (out of doors and away 
from fire) before the mixture has cooled. The work (dry) is given 
several coats, each being hardened in a japanner's oven. The last 
coat may be rubbed down, first with tripoli applied on a soft cloth, 
then with a few drops of oil. 

Varnish (Brilliant French) for Leather. — Spirits of wine, three- 
quarters of a pint; vinegar, five pints ; gum Senegal in powder, one- 
half pound; loaf sugar, six ounces; powdered galls, two ounces; green 
copperas, four ounces. Dissolve the gum and sugar in the water; 
strain, and put on a slow fire, but don't boil; now put in the galls, 
copperas, and the alcohol; stir well for five minutes; set off; and when 
nearly cool strain through flannel, and bottle for use. It is applied 
with a pencil brush. Most superior. 

Varnish (Crystal) for Maps, etc. — Canada balsam, one ounce ; 
spirits of turpentine, tvv^o ounces; mix together. Before applying 
this varnish to a drawing or colored print, the paper should be placed 
on a stretcher, and sized with a thin solution of isinglass in water, 
and dried. Apply with a soft camel's-hair brush. 

Varnish for Maps, Drawings, etc. — Boil parchment cuttings in 
water, in a glazed earthen vessel, till they produce a very clear size; 
strain it, and keep it till wanted; then give the work two coats of the 



474 JVHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO IV. 

size, passing the brush quickly over the work so as not to disturb the 
colors. 

Veneers — dyes for. — A Fine Black. — Put six pounds of logwood 
chips into your copper, with as many veneers as it will hold wiihout 
pressing too tight; fill it with water, let it boil slowly for about three 
hours; then add one-half pound of powdered verdigris, one-half 
pound copperas, bruised gall nuts, four ounces: fill the copper up 
with vinegar as the water evaporates; let it boil gently two hours 
each day till the wood is dyed through. 

A Fine Blue. — Put oil of vitriol, one pound, and four ounces of 
the best powdered indigo in a glass bottle. Set it in a glazed earthen 
pan, as it will ferment. Now put your veneers into a copper or stone 
trough; fill it rather more than one-third with Avater. and add as much 
of the vitriol and indigo (stirring it about) as will make fine blue, 
testing it with a piece of white paper or wood. Let the veneers re- 
main till the dye has struck through. Keep the solution of indigo a 
few weeks before using it; this improves the color. 

Fine Yellow. — Reduce four pounds of the root of barberry to dust 
by sawing, which put in a copper or brass trough; add turmeric, four 
ounces; water, four gallons; then put in as many white holly veneers 
as the liquor will cover. Boil them together three hours, often turn- 
ing them. When cool, add aquafortis, two ounces, and the dye will 
strike through much sooner. 

Bright Green. — Proceed as in the previous recipe to produce a 
yellow; but, instead of aquafortis, add as much of the vitriolated in- 
digo (see above, under blue dye) as will produce the desired color. 

Bright Red. — Brazil dust, two pounds, add water, four gallons. 
Put in as many veneers as the liquid will cover; boil them for three 
hours, then add alum, two ounces; aquafortis, two ounces; and keep 
it luke-warm until it has struck through. 

Purple. — To two pounds of chip logwood and one-half pound of 
Brazil dust, add four gallons of water; and after putting in your 
veneers, boil for three hours; then add pearlash, nine ounces, and 
alum, two ounces; let them boil two or three hours every day till the 
color has struck through. 

Orange. — Take the veneers out of the above yellow dye while still 
wet and saturated; transfer them to the bright red dye till the color 
penetrates throughout. 

Varnish 'Shellac.) — Buy at almost any druggist's or paint store 
about ten cents' worth of gum shellac; break it up in pieces; put it in 
a wide-mouthed bottle; cover it with good alcohol, and let it stand 
until you have a dark brown mixture about as thick as New Orleans 
molasses. If you find it too thick to make a fine, clear varnish, 
when applied with a brush, you may dilute it by pouring in a little 
more alcohol and shaking the bottle. The advantage of using this 
preparation is that it gives a fine soft gloss instead of the hard shiny 
effect of most other varnishes. 

Varnish (Scratches in) — to remove. — Scratches in varnish will en- 



WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 475 

tirely disappear if a coarse cloth that has been well saturated with 
linseed oil be laid over them. This simple remedy is invaluable to 
those who have the care of carriages and highly polished furniture, etc. 

Varnish (Black) — for stoves. — Melt half a pound of asphaltum, 
and add to it one-fourth of a pint of linseed oil, and one pint of tur- 
pentine. This quantity will be enough for four grates. If it be 
found too thick as it gets toward the bottom of the bottle, add a little 
more turpentine. It is for the black stoves, which must be washed 
clean of dirt and blackened, and, when dry, varnished with a brush. 

Varnish for Violins, etc. — i. Rectified spirits of wine, one-half 
gallon; add six ounces of gum sandarac, three ounces of gum mastic 
and one-half pint of turpentine varnish; put the above in a tin can 
by the stove, frequently shaking till well dissolved; strain and keep 
for use. If you find it harder than you wish, thin with more turpen- 
tine varnish. 

2. Heat together at a low temperature two quarts of alcohol, one- 
pint of turpentine varnish, and one pound of clean gum mastic; when 
the latter is thoroughly dissolved, strain through a cloth. 

Varnish for White Woods. — Dissolve three pounds of bleached 
shellac in one gallon of spirit of wine; strain, and add one and one- 
half more gallons of spirit. If the shellac is pure and white, this 
will make a beautifully clear covering for white wooden articles. 

Varnish (Waterproof). — Gum copal varnish applied to soles of 
boots and shoes, and repeated as it dries until the pores are filled 
and the surface shines like polished mahogany, will make the sole 
waterproof, and it lasts three times longer for the application. 

Veal Loaf. — Chop fine a leg or loin of veal, roll one dozen crackers, 
put half of them in the veal, with two eggs, pepper, salt, and butter 
size of an ^z?,\ "^'-^ ^1^ together and make into a solid form; then 
take the crackers that are left and spread smoothly over the outside; 
bake three-quarters of an hour and eat cold. 

Veal — to select. — Veal should be delicately white, though it is 
often juicy and well flavored when rather dark in color. Butchers, 
it is said, bleed calves purposely before killing them, with a view 10 
make the flesh white, but this also makes it dry and flavorless. On 
examining the loin, if the fat enveloping the kidney be white and 
firm-looking, the meat will probably be prime and recently killed. 
Veal will not keep so long as an older meat, especially in hot or damp 
weather; when going, the fat becomes soft and moist, the meat 
flabby and spotted, and somewhat porous, like sponge. Large, over- 
grown veal, is inferior to small, delicate, yet fat veal. 

Vegetables and Fruits — to grov/ to an enormous size, etc. — A 
curious discovery has recently been made public in France, in regard 
to the culture of vegetable and fruit trees. By watering with a solu- 
tion of sulphate of iron, the most wonderful fecundity has been at- 
tained. Pear trees and beans which have been submitted to this 
treatment have nearly doubled in the size of their productions, and a 
noticeable improvement has been remarked in their flavor. Dr. Be- 



476 IVHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

court reports that while at the head of an establishment at Enghein, 
or the sulphurous springs, he had the gardens and plantations con- 
nected with it watered, during several weeks of the early spring, with 
sulphurous water, and that not only the plantation prospered to a 
remarkable extent, but flowers acquired a peculiar brilliancy of col- 
oring and healthy aspect which attracted universal attention. 

Veins of the Leg (Enlarged). — Apply firmly strips of leather 
spread with soap plaster. Generally it is better to support the whole 
limb with a strong calico bandage, which should be applied before 
getting out of 'bed. It is well to use friction in connection with iodine 
ointment. 

Velvet Cream. — Half an ounce of isinglass dissolved inateacupful 
of white wine, one pint of cream, the juice of alarge lemon. Sweeten 
the cream to your taste. When the isinglass is dissolved, add the 
lemon juice and wine to the cream, and pour it into a mold. 

Velvet — to raise the pile of. — i. When the pile is pressed down, 
cover a hot smoothing-iron with a wet cloth, and hold the velvet 
firmly over it; the vapors arising will raise the pile of the velvet with 
the assistance of a light whisk. 

2. Where velvet has been crushed, hold the wrong side over a basin 
of quite boiling water, and the pile will gradually rise. Do not lose 
patience, for it takes a considerable time, but the result is marvelous. 

Velvet — to remove wax from. — Take a crumby wheaten loaf, cut 
it in two, toast it before the fire, and, while very hot, apply it to the 
part spotted with wax. Then apply another piece of toasted bread 
hot as before, and continue this application until the wax is entirely 
taken out. This process applies to all colors except crimson. 

Ventilation. — As houses are generally made it is better to draw 
down the upper sash of a window, for the reason that the warmest 
air, particularly during the winter, collects near the ceiling and in- 
jurious matters are carried up into it from the floor. Drawing down 
the sash will afford a double means of ventilation — permitting the 
warm and noxious air at the top to escape and the outer air to enter 
at the bottom of the sash through the lower one. When the weather 
is cold it is not necessary that the upper sash be lowered much; an 
inch or two would be sufficient for a room of the average size; that 
is, fourteen or fifteen feet square. A room which is used for the 
general assembling of the family — what is called the living room — 
should not be less than that in dimension. 

Vegetable Substitute for Calornel. — Jalap, one ounce; senna, 
two ounces; peppermint, one ounce (a little cinnamon if desired), all 
pulverized and sifted through gauze. Dose, one teaspoonful put 
in a cup with two or three spoonfuls of hot water, and a good lump 
of white sugar; when cool, drink all; to be taken fasting in the 
morning; drink freely; if it does not operate in three hours, repeat 
one-half the quantity; use instead of calomel. 

Vermifuere fFahnestock's). — Castor oil, oil of worm seed, each 



WHA T E VER V ONE SIIO ULD KNO W. 477 

one ounce; oil anise, one-half ounce; tincture myrrh, one-half dram; 
oil turpentine, ten minims. Mix. 

Vermifuge Lozenges. — Santonine, sixty grains; pulverized sugar, 
five ounces; mucilage of gum tragacanth, sufficient to make into a 
thick paste, worked carefully together, that the santonine shall be 
evenly mixed throughout the whole mass; then if not in too great a 
hurry cover up the mortar in which you have rubbed them, and let 
stand from twelve to twenty-four hours to temper; at which time 
they will roll out better than if done immediately; divide into a hun- 
dred and twenty lozenges. Dose, for a child one year old, one loz- 
enge, night and morning; of two years, two lozenges; of four years, 
three; of eight, four; of ten years or more, five to seven lozenges; 
in all cases to be taken twice daily, and continuing until the worms 
start on a voyage of discovery. 

Vermifuge (Swaim's). — Worm-seed, two ounces; valerian, rhu- 
barb, pink-root, white agaric, of each, one and one-half ounces; boil 
in sufficient water to yield three quarts of decoction, and add to it 
thirty drops of oil of tansy, and forty-five drops of oil of cloves, dis- 
solved in a quart of rectified spirits. Dose, one teaspoonful at 
night. 

Vermin — how to free the house from. — We will begin with 
the most offensive, the bed-bug. Scores of methods have been 
tried to rid the house of these, and in some cases there would seem 
no remedy, when beds, bedding, walls, and even furniture are in- 
fested; yet patience and perseverance has effected what seemed an 
impossibility. 

When closets and floors are the lurking places, use strong sassa- 
fras tea, dashing it into every corner and crack, under the bare 
boards, into the floor seams, and every crevice. Let it lie in one 
place while doing another, and do not be too careful in v/iping off the 
surface. After doing this fill up all the cracks or holes with soap or 
putty. 

Should this not prove effectual, as it generally does, after one or 
two applications, try carbolic acid and water, one tablespoonful of 
acid to four quarts of water, or a little stronger if used only for 
holes and cracks. This v\^as used in South America (every two weeks) 
to keep out the very troublesome insects there. 

For bedsteads do not rely on salt and water, coal oil, red precipi- 
tate and lard, except as temporary remedies. Instead try corrosive 
sublimate mixed with carbolic acid. If this is used thoroughly it will 
last for several years, especially if the bed and bedding have been 
well fumed with the carbolic acid. Coal oil mixed with the oil used 
in lubricating machinery is also excellent, as it retains the offensive 
properties of the coal oil, which evaporates too freely when used by 
itself. Still, though this mixture has proved effectual in one instance, 
carbolic acid and corrosive sublimate have stood the test of years. 
Carbolic soap would be of good service in stopping up cracks and 
crevices. 



4 78 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

A good coat of varnish put over the bedstead, and into seams and 
corners, is an excellent temporary remedy. 

Where the insects, through neglect, have accumulated in great 
numbers, coal oil destroys them at once in their haunts, and pre- 
vents the danger of scattering them about as when the brush or cloth 
is used. The oil will prevent their returning for two or three weeks 
if used freely. 

Red precipitate and lard, if put into the holes made for screws or 
other fastenings, will keep out the insects for a year or two, but will 
not prevent their infesting other parts of the bed and bedding. 

Corrosive sublimate and carbolic acid is best put on with a sharp- 
pointed feather, such as a goose feather, so that all cracks can be 
reached by the liquid. Any good druggist can furnish the solution. 

When hair mattresses are thoroughly permeated by fumes of car- 
bolic acid they will remain free from the inroads of bugs for years. 
This fumigation is frequently done by the manufacturers, and proves 
a great recommendation to their work. 

Copperas mixed with whitewash upon the cellar walls will keep 
vermin away. 

Bugs are constantly brought into houses by travelers, in books from 
libraries, old papers, etc., not to mention the riders of street cars, so 
that extreme vigilance is required to prevent their inroads. When 
railway cars are taken to pieces for repairs, these insects are found by 
scores, secreted about the seats. Their increase is so rapid, that if 
they did not destroy each other, they would soon render a house un- 
inhabitable, were no means taken to destroy them. In cities they 
have been seen forming a procession from one house to another. 
They will also precipitate themselves voluntarily from the ceiling to 
the bed. The insect, which by daylight seems sluggish and stupid, 
at night is as active as an ant. 

Vermin on Plants or Animals. — Pour a gallon of boiling water on 
one pound tobacco leaves, strain it in twenty minutes; for vermin on 
animals or plants this decoction is certain death. 

Vines (Grape) — to prevent mildew. — Dusting with sulphur as 
soon as the leaves are as large as a half dollar, and renewal after 
each rain, will generally prevent mildew on grapevines, but not 
always. 

Vines (Grape) — directions for pruning vines. — In pruning, 
always cut upward and in a sloping direction. 

Always leave an inch of blank wood beyond a terminal bud, and 
let the cut be on the opposite side of the bud. 

Prune so as to leave as few wounds as possible, and let the surface 
of every cut be perfectly smooth. 

In cutting out an old branch, prune it even with the parent limb, 
that the wound may heal quickly. 

Prune so as to obtain the quantity of fruit desired on the smallest 
number of shoots possible. 

Never prune in frosty weather, nor when a frost is expected. 



WHA T E VER V ONE SIIO ULD KNO W. 479 

Never prune after the sap has risen to the branches in the spring; 
it causes bleeding, and occasions thereby a wasteful and injurious ex- 
penditure of sap. 

Let the general autumnal pruning take place as soon as convenient 
after the gathering of the fruit. Lastly: Use a pruning-knife of the 
best description, and let it be, if possible, as sharp as a razor. 

Vinegar — ways to make cheap. — i. To eight gallons of clear 
rain-water add six quarts of molasses; turn the mixture into a clean, 
tight cask, shake it well two or three times, and add one pint of good 
yeast. Place the cask in a warm place, and in ten or fifteen days add 
a sheet of common wrapping-paper, smeared with molasses, and 
torn into narrow strips, and you will have good vinegar. The paper 
is necessary to form the " mother " or life of the liquor. 

2, Mix twenty-five gallons of warm water with four gallons mo- 
lasses and one gallon yeast, and let it ferment; you will soon have 
the best of vinegar; keep adding these articles in these proportions 
as the stock is sold; use Newer's yeast. 

4. Acetic acid, five pounds; molasses, two gallons; yeast, two 
quarts; put them into a forty-gallon cask and fill it up with rain- 
water; stir it up and let it stand one to three weeks, letting it have 
all the air possible, and you will have good vinegar. If wanted 
stronger, add more molasses. Should you at any time have weak 
vinegar on hand, put molasses into it to set it working. This will 
soon correct it. Make in a warm place. 

Vinegar (Mint). — Put into a wide-mouthed bottle fresh, nice clean 
mint-leaves, enough to fill it loosely; then fill up the bottle with good 
vinegar, and after it has been stopped close for two weeks it is to be 
poured off clear into another bottle, and kept well corked for use. 
Serve with lamb when mint cannot be obtained. 

Vinegar Plant — how to raise. — What is popularly known as the 
vinegar plant is only a form of the " mother of vinegar," which is, 
again, only a state of common mold. The manner of obtaining it is 
as follows : Leave a little vinegar in a small bottle to become stale 
(during hot, close weather is best), till a film appears on the surface. 
This film is the spawn of mycelium of a species of mildew, and is 
the incipient state of the vinegar plant proper. If a few fragments 
of coarse brown sugar be now added, it will somewhat aid its growth; 
but when the film has attained the thickness of parchment, it is 
ready for transfer to syrup, where it soon becomes the housewife's 
normal vinegar plant. Procure a large jar or bottle, and to two 
quarts of boiling water add half a pound of molasses, and half a 
pound of the commonest brown sugar; stir all these ingredients well 
together, and when cool transfer the film from the surface of the 
vinegar to the surface of the syrup; cover np to exclude air, and keep 
in a warm cupboard. This film will rapidly grow and form a thick, 
slippery gelatinous mass all over the surface of the syrup, and in 
course of six weeks or so the liquid will be changed to excellent 
vinegar. The vinegar plant can now be taken and divided into 



4So WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

layers, or cut up into fragments, each piece of which, if placed upon 
fresh syrup, will rapidly grow and change the liquor into vinegar. 
The vinegar should be allowed to settle and be strained before it is 
used. 

Vinegar for the Sick-room. — There is a French legend that dur- 
ing the plague at Marseilles a band of robbers plundered the dying 
and the dead without injury to themselves. They were imprisoned, 
tried, and condemned to die, but were pardoned on condition of dis- 
closing the secret whereby they could ransack the houses infected 
with the terrible scourge. They gave the following recipe, which 
makes a delicious and refreshing wash for the sick-room. Take of 
rosemary, wormwood, lavender, rue, sage, and mint, a large hand- 
ful of each; place in a stone jar, and pour over the whole one gallon 
of strong cider vinegar; cover closely, and keep near the fire for four 
days; then strain, and add one ounce of powdered camphor. Bottle 
and keep tightly corked. The vinegar is very aromatic, cooling 
and refreshing in the sick-room, and is of great value to nurses. 

Vinegar — to strengthen. — Freeze it and remove the ice which 
forms on the surface — the water of the vinegar alone freezes, leaving 
the acute acid in solution in the remaining water. 

Vinegar (White Wine). — Mash up twenty pounds raisins, and add 
ten gallons of water; let it stand in a warm place for one month, and 
you will have pure white wine vinegar. The raisins may be used a 
second time the same way. 

Visiting the Sick. — Do not visit the sick when you are fatigued, 
or in a state of perspiration, or with the stomach empty — for in such 
conditions 5'ou are liable to take the infection. When a disease is 
very contagious, take the side of the patient which is near to the win- 
dow. Do not enter the room the first thing in the morning before 
it has been aired; and when you come away take some food, change 
your clothing immediately, and expose the latter to the air for some 
days. Tobacco smoke is a fine preventive of malaria. 

Violet Powder. — Wheat starch, six parts by weight; orris-root 
powder, two. Having reduced the starch to an impalpable powder, 
mix thoroughly with the orris-root, and then perfume with attar of 
lemon, attar of bergamot and attar of cloves, using twice as much of 
the lemon as either of the other attars. 

Vomiting in Pregnancy — to cure. — Mix one dram of carbonate of 
magnesia; one-half ounce tincture of Colombo; five and one-half 
ounces peppermint water. Dose, one tablespoonful three times a day. 

Voice — to improve. — Beeswax, two drams; copaiba balsam, three 
dram.s; powder of liquorice root, four drams; melt the copaiba 
balsam Vv^ith the v.- ax in a new earthen pipkin; when melted, remove 
them from the fire, and mix in the powder; make the pills of three 
grains each. Two of these pills to be taken occasionally, three or 
four times a day. Very best known. 

Vulcanite Emery Wheels. — Use a compound of India rubber 
and emery, as little of the former as will suffice to hold the particles 



WffA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W, 481 

of emery together. The materials must be thoroughly incorporated 
together, then rolled into sheets, cut into wheels of the desired size 
and pattern, pressed into the iron molds, and vulcanized or cured by 
being subjected to a high degree of steam heat for several hours, 
making it almost as hard as cast iron. 

Wafers (Pulmonic). — Lump sugar, licorice, and starch, of each 
two parts; gum, ten parts; squills and ipecacuanha, of each five 
parts; lactucarium, two parts. Mix, and divide into eight grain 
lozenges. 

Wafers. — Use equal parts water and *' A " oatmeal, and make it as 
thin as you can shake it out on the bottom of the pan, so that when 
it is done it will not be thicker than a knife-blade anywhere, and in 
most places you can see daylight through it. Bake it very slowly 
until it is quite dry, watching it that it may not scorch. In taking it 
out it will probably break into many fragments, but they will be deli- 
cious ones — not shapely for the table, but so temptingly savored that 
any delicate person who can eat at all will find them satisfying, nourish- 
ing, and easily digested — far better than the standard sick dish called 
gruel. As for the well folks, put your waters out of their way if you 
expect to find any of them for the invalid's next meal. 

Waffles. — One quart of sweet or sour milk, two eggs, two-thirds 
of a cup of butter, one-half a teaspoonful of salt, three teaspoonfuls of 
baking powder; flour enough to make a nice batter. If you use sour 
milk leave out the baking powder and use two teaspoonfuls of soda. 
These are splendid. 

Wakefulness — remedy for. — If troubled with wakefulness, fol- 
low these rules: Eat nothing hearty after sunset; calm your mind 
before retiring; go to bed at a regular hour; when you wake, rise 
and dress at once, no matter how early in the morning; never sleep 
in the day. These five rules observed will insure sleep. 

Wall-paper — how to clean. — Take off the dust with a soft cloth. 
With a little flour and water make a lump of very stiff dough, and 
rub the wall gently downward, taking the length of the arm at each 
stroke, and in this way go around the room. As the dough becomes 
dirty, cut the soiled part off. In the second round commence the 
stroke a little above where the last one ended, and be very careful 
not to cross the paper or to go up again. Ordinary papers cleaned 
in this way will look fresh and bright, and almost as good as new. 
Some papers, however — and these most expensive ones — will not 
clean nicely; and in order to ascertain whether a paper can be clean- 
ed, it is best to try it in some obscure corner, which will not be no- 
ticed if the result is unsatisfactory. If there be any broken places 
in the wall, fill them up Avith a mixture of equal parts of plaster of 
Paris and silver sand, made into a paste with a little water; then 
cover the place with a little piece of paper like the rest, if it can be 
had. 

Walls — to paper. — Before putting fresh paper on walls, the old 
paper should be removed by wetting it with saleratus water, when it 



482 WJIA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

will fall off easily. The walls should be brushed over with a weak 
solution of carbolic acid, which will drive away insects and sweeten 
the walls. The Chinese often remove plaster from the old houses, 
and replace it with new and are paid for their trouble in the value of 
the old plaster for fertilizing^ purposes. This shows how the breaths 
and various exhalations of the body are absorbed by lime, and gives 
a hint as to the necessit^f of neutralizing, as far as possible, these ab- 
sorbed odors. 

Wall-paper — how to hang. — There are many housekeepers who 
have one or mcne rooms they would like to re-paper, but are kept 
from doing as much of this kind of work as they would like on ac- 
count of the expense of getting a professional paper-hanger to put 
the paper on. Any one who takes the pains to notice, can soon 
learn to put on paper as well as the best paper-hanger. In the first 
place, you can often find among the cheap papers one or more lots 
that look just as well, and are of as good quality as the more expen- 
sive ones. When you have got your paper home, trim off the edge 
on the right side, as it is better for an inexperienced hand to com- 
mence at the left side of a door or window, and go toward the left. 
When you are ready to begin, make your paste with boiling water, 
and let it boil about as long as common starch, and it should be no 
thicker than starch after it is cold. Let it cool and strain it through a 
common salt sack to take out the lumps. Then take a piece of wash- 
ing soda as large as a walnut with the hull off, dissolve it in water, 
and put it in the paste, and you need not use any glue or anything 
else whatever. Let an assistant hold the paper up the wall, so that 
it will match with the piece already on, and cut it off the right length, 
always half an inch short, as it will stretch that much. Lay the paper 
wrong side up on a large table; let your help hold one end while you 
put on the paste quickly and evenly with a whitewash brush. Be 
sure to get every part covered. Take hold of the upper :nd, while 
your assistant takes the lower end, fasten it at the top, then sweep it 
down with a soft broom or brush, pick all windy places with a pin, 
and pat gently with a soft cloth. If it should become fast at the 
bottom too soon for the rest, pull it out carefully from the wall and 
replace it again. Paper put on with washing soda in the paste will 
not crack and come loose on greasy walls, as it often docs without it. 
Try this plan, and your rooms will look nice and new with but little 
expense. 

Walls — to repair cracks, holes, etc., in. — Equal parts of plaster 
of Paris and while sand — such as is used in most families for scouring 
purposes — mixed with water to a paste, applied immediately and 
smoothed with a knife or flat piece of wood, will make the broken 
place as good as new. The mixture hardens very quickly, so it is 
best to i^reparc l)nt a small quantity at a time. 

Walls (Whitewashed) — to make paper stay on. — To make wall- 
paper stay on whitewashed walls, use one pound of glue, and one- 
fourth bar of soap, dissolved in six quarts of scalding water. Let it 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHOULD KNO VV. 483 

stand until only blood warm, and apply with a whitewash brush; let 
it dry thoroughly, and paper. 

Walls (Damp) — to cure. — Boil two ounces of grease with two 
quarts of tar, for nearly twenty minutes, in an iron vessel, and have 
ready pounded glass, one pound; slaked lime, two pounds; well dried 
in an iron pot and sifted through a flour sieve; add some of the lime 
to the tar and glass, to make it the thickness of thin paste, sufficient 
to cover a square foot at a time, as it hardens so quick. Apply it 
about an eighth of an inch thick. 

Walls — to prevent sound passing through. — Dry saw-dust or 
spent tan-bark, well dried, is a good and cheap substance to put in a 
lath and plaster wall, to deaden, as much as possible, sounds pro- 
ceeding from one room to another. Sand is effectual if the lathing is 
sufficiently strong to admit of its use. 

Walnut Stains — to remove. — The juice of ripe tomatoes will re- 
move the stain of walnuts from the hands without injury to the skin. 

Warts — several ways to cure. — i. A much safer remedy for 
warts than nitrate of silver is sal-ammoniac. Get a piece about the 
size of a walnut; moisten the warts, and rub the sal-ammoniac well 
on them every night and morning, and in about a fortnight they will 
probably disappear. If not, do not despair, but continue the process 
till they are gone. 

2. To remove warts, get a little bullock's gall, and keep it in a bot- 
tle; rub a little on the warts two or three times a day, and in a short 
time they will disappear. 

3. Take a small piece of potash, and let it stand in the open air 
until it slakes; then thicken it to a paste with pulverized gum arable, 
which prevents it from spreading where it is not wanted. Apply to 
warts and corns. 

4. The treatment of warts is to pare the hard and dry skin from 
their tops, and then touch them with the smallest drop of strong 
acetic acid, taking care that the acid does not run off the wart upon 
the neighboring skin, for if it does, it will occasion inflammation and 
much pain. If this practice be continued once or twice daily, with 
regularity, paring the surface of the wart occasionally when it gets 
hard and dry, it may be soon effectually cured. 

5. Drop a little vinegar on the wart and cover it immediately with 
cooking soda, or saleratus; put on as much soda as you can pile on 
and let it remain ten minutes; repeat several times a day, and in 
three days the wart will be gone. A good remedy for corns also. 

6. A most effectual way to cure warts — keep them wrapped in a 
cloth wet in diluted tincture of thujia; after forty-eight hours pull 
them out by the roots — a very painless operation. For those living 
in the country, I would say, make a decoction of arbor vitae, which is 
the same thing as thujia. 

7. Rub warts until they are green, with a bean leaf, and they will 
disappear after a few applications. 

Washing Compound. — Take two and one-half pounds of bar soap. 



484 WIIA T E VER Y ONE SHOULD KNO W. 

cut fine, two ounces of borax, one-half ounce of sal-soda, one-eighth 
of a gill of spirits of turpentine, and three pints of hot water. Put 
these in a suitaV>le vessel, and place it on the stove until all is dis- 
solved. When nearly cold put into molds. Directions for using: 
The night before washing put the clothes to soak in cold water, in 
which put a little of the compound. In the morning operations are 
commenced by setting on the stove or furnace the wash-kettle two- 
thirds full of water; into this put about one-half a pound, more or 
less, according to the size of the kettle (first dissolve in a little boil- 
ing water); then wring out the clothes that have been soaking, and 
put them into the kettle. By the time that the water is scalding hot 
the clothes will be ready for taking out. Drain them well; put them 
into clean cold water, and thoroughly rinse them twice, and they are 
ready to be hung out. For colored clothes, floors, ceilings, etc., use 
the same as common soap. 

Wash for Painting Purposes. — Take a half bushel of unslaked 
lime and slake it with boiling water; cover it during the process. 
Strain it and add a peck of salt dissolved in warm water, three pounds 
of ground rice boiled to a thin paste put in boiling hot, half pound of 
Spanish whiting and one pound of clear glue dissolved in warm 
water. Mix and let it stand several days. Keep it in a bottle, and 
put it on as hot as possible with a brush. It is said to look as well 
and last as long as oil paint, on wood, brick or stone. 

Wash for Barns and Houses. — Water lime, one peck; freshly 
slaked lime, one peck; yellow ochre in powder, four pounds; burnt 
umber, four pounds; to be dissolved in hot water and applied with a 
brush. 

Wash for Removing Particles of Zinc or Iron from the Eye. — 
Muriatic acid, twenty drops, mucilage, one dram; mix with two fluid 
ounces rose water. Iron or steel particles may be extracted by hold- 
ing near them a powerful magnet. 

Washing Lace Edgings. — Cover a smooth quart bottle with soft, 
half-worn sheeting, fastened evenly around. Begin at the bottom 
and wind the lace about it, basting fast at both edges, and being very 
careful to put the needle through each of the minute loops on the 
scalloped edge. Soap it well and wash by patting it, then boiling, 
rinsing and bluing it the same as if it was off the bottle. Dip at last 
in water containing a little mucilage and dry in the sun. Clip and 
carefully pull out the basting threads and use without ironing. If 
neatly basted on, it will look nearly or quite as well as new. When 
washing fine lace do not use starch at all; in the last water in which 
they are. rinsed put a little fine white sugar, dissolve it thoroughly 
and the result will be pleasing. 

Washing Linens. — i. A tablespoonful of black pepper put in the 
first water in which gray or buff linens are washed, Avill keep them 
from spotting. It will also keep the colors of black and colored cam- 
brics or muslins from running, and does not harden the water. A 
little gum arable imparts a gloss to ordinary starch. 



WIIA T E VER Y ONE SHOULD KNO W. 485 

2. For washing black or navy blue linens, percales, etc., take two 
potatoes grated into tepid soft water (first having peeled and 
washed them), into which put a teaspoonful of ammonia. Wash the 
goods in this and rinse in cold blue water. Starch will not be needed, 
and if at all practicable, they should be dried and ironed on the wrong 
side. It is said that an infusion of hay will preserve the colors of 
buff linens; an infusion of bran will do the same for brown linens 
and prints. 

Washing Embroidered Handkerchiefs. — To wash a fine cambric 
handkerchief, embroidered in colored silks, so that the colors will not 
run, the secret is to wash in a soap lather very quickly, wring thor- 
oughly and then iron, so that it will dry at once. There should be no 
soaking, and the embroidered corner should be kept out of the water 
as much as possible. A little alum in the water will make the process 
more sure. 

Washing" Colors. — To wash fine and elegant colors, boil some 
bran in rain-water and use the liquid cold. Nothing can equal it for 
cleaning cloth and for revivifying effects upon colors. 

Washing Hints. — Clothes soaked over night are cleansed with 
one-half the effort usually applied. 

Hard water boiled will readily aflSliate with soap. A piece of sal 
soda or a teaspoonful of unslaked lime would greatly facilitate the 
assimilating process. A teaspoonful of turpentine boiled with white 
clothes will add materially to the whitening process. An excellent 
bluing is made with one ounce of Prussian blue, half an ounce of 
oxalic acid, and one quart of soft water. A piece of starch polish, 
the size of a pea, or a teaspoonful of gum arable solution, a piece of 
mutton tallow, or a pinch of salt improves starch, and facilitates the 
ironing process. 

Articles of delicate color and texture should be washed in tepid 
water, slightly tinctured with borax. One tablespoonful of alum, one 
tablespoonful of salt, dissolved in one gallon of soft water; soak the 
garment, and rinse with salt and alum. A cloth wetted with am- 
monia will remove stains made by machine oil. Sour milk, oxalic 
acid, or ripe tomatoes remove iron rust from white goods. Though 
ink-stains are best treated with sweet milk, a weak solution of chlo- 
ride of lime, muriatic acid, or lemon-juice will efifectually remove 
fruit-stains from linen. A compound consisting of equal portions 
of soft-soap, lemon-juice, and starch, applied with a painter's brush 
and dried in the open air, will remove mildew or the seared places 
which come of scorching. A I'ttle salt on a flat surface, or beeswax, 
cleanses the face of smoothing-irons for use. Dip shirt-bosoms in 
cold water three hours before ironing; fold the back lengthwise 
through the center; next iron the waistbands and both sides of the 
sleeve; then iron the collar-band, then place the bosom-board under 
the bosom and rub with a dampened napkin, smoothing and arrang- 
ing each plait neatly; then begin at the band and iron downward, 
with a moderately hot fiat-iron, until the bosom is polished and 



486 WHA T E VER V ONE SIIO ULD KNO W. 

shining; remove the board, and the result is a bosom without speck or 
flaw. 

Washing Made Easy, — To save your linen and your labor pour 
on half a pound of soda two quarts of boiling water, in an earthen- 
ware pan; take half a pound of soap, shred fine, put it into a sauce- 
pan with two quarts of cold water, stand it on a fire till it boils, and 
when perfectly dissolved and boiling add it to the former. Mix it 
well, and then let it stand till cold, when it has the appearance of a 
strong jelly. Let your linen be soaked in water, the seams and any 
other dirty part rubbed in the usual way and remain till the follow- 
ing morning. Get your wash boiler ready, and add to the water 
about a pint basin full. When lukewarm put in your linen and allow 
it to boil twenty minutes. Rinse it in the usual way, and that is all 
which is necessary to get it clean and keep it in good color. The 
above recipe is invaluable to housekeepers. Give it a trial. 

Washing Fluid. — Take one pound sal-soda half a pound of good 
stone lime, and five quarts of water; boil a short time, let it settle, 
and pour off the clear fluid into a stone jug, and cork for use. Soak 
your white clothes over night in simple water, wring out and soap 
wristbands, collars, and dirty or stained places; have your boiler half 
filled with water just beginning to boil; then put in one common tea- 
cupful of fluid, stir, and put in your clothes, and boil for half an 
hour; then rub lightly through one suds only, and all is complete. 

Washing Clothes Without Fading. — Wash and peel Irish pota- 
toes, and then grate them into cold water. Saturate the articles to 
be washed in this potato water, and they can then be washed with 
soap without any running of the color. I have taken oil out of car- 
pets saturated with this potato water, when simple cold water would 
make the color run ruinously; have set the color in figured black mus- 
lins, in colored merinos, in ribbons and other silk goods. Often the 
potato water cleanses sufficiently without the use of soap; but the lat- 
ter is necessary where there is any grease. In such cases (without 
soap) I take the grated potato itself and rub the goods with a flannel 
rag. In woolen goods it is necessary to strain the water, else the 
particles will adhere, but this is not necessary on goods from which 
they can be well shaken. 

Washing Merinos and Silk. — The following directions for wash- 
ing merinos, lambs wool and silk under-clothing may be useful: Use 
one pound of dissolved soap in four gallons of warm water, in 
which well rinse the articles to be washed, drawing them repeatedly 
through the hand; wring them as dry as possible to remove the soap; 
rinse them again briskly in clean, luke-warm water; wring and 
stretch them to their proper shape, and dry in open air if possible. 

Washing — be grateful for. — Rev. Thomas K. Beecher says: " All 
men ought to go to the woods and religiously do their own washing 
and general work — such as sewing, cooking, housekeeping and dish- 
washing. The work of women is not spoken of sensibly by men 
until they have done it themselves. Do as I have done— do a wash 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 487 

of six pieces, and then remember that a woman turns off two hun- 
dred pieces in a day. Look at your watch and see how long it takes 
you. Look at your soap and see how much you have used. Look 
at your white clothes (handkerchief or towel) and see what you have 
done or not done, and never again speak harshly of or to a woman 
on wash-day, nor of laundry work as if it were unskilled labor. Try 
it. Don't talk. Don't sneer. A sympathetic gentleman having 
washed two dozen pieces will never change his shirt again without a 
glow of reverence and gratitude." 

Waste-paper for Househ Id Uses. — Few housekeepers have time 
to blacken their stoves every day, or even every week. Many wash 
them in either clean water or dish-water. This keeps them clean, 
but they look very brown. After a stove has been blackened, it can 
be kept looking very well for a long time by rubbing it with paper 
every morning. If I occasionally find a drop of gravy or fruit juice 
that the paper will not take off, I rub it with a wet cloth, but do not 
put on water enough to take off the blacking. I find that rubbing 
with paper is a much nicer way of keeping the outside of my teaket- 
tle, coffeepot and teapot bright and clean than the old way of wash- 
ing them in suds. The inside of coffeepots and teapots should be 
rinsed in clear water, and never in dish-water. 

Rubbing with dry paper is also the best way of polishing knives 
and tinware after scouring. This saves wetting the knife handles. 
If a little flour be held on the paper in rubbing tinware and spoons, 
they shine like new silver. For polishing windows, mirrors, lamp 
chimneys, etc., I always use paper in preference to any dry cloth. 
Preserves and pickles keep much better if brown paper instead of 
cloth is tied over the jar. Canned fruit is not so apt to mold if a 
piece of writing paper, cut to fit the can, is laid directly on the top of 
the fruit. Paper is much better to put under a carpet than straw. It 
is warmer, thinner, and makes less noise when one walks over it. A 
fair carpet can be made for a room not in constant use, by pasting 
several thicknesses of newspapers on the floor, over them a coat of 
wall-paper, and give it a coat of varnish. In cold weather I have 
often placed paper between my bed-quilts, knowing that two thick- 
nesses of paper are as warm as a quilt. If it is necessary to step on 
a chair always lay a paper on it; this saves rubbing the varnish. 
Children easily learn the habit of doing so. 

Waste-pipes — how to cleanse. — A simple, inexpensive method 
of cleaning the waste-pipe of washstands, bathtub, 'or kitchen, the 
stoppage of which often entails great expense, is said to be as fol- 
lows: Just before retiring at night pour into the pipe enough liquid 
potash lye of thirty-six degrees strength to fill the " trap," as it is 
called, or bent portion of the pipe just below the outlet. About a 
pint will suffice for a washstand, or a quart for a bathtub or kitchen- 
sink. Be sure that no water runs into it till next morning. During 
the night the lye will convert all the offal in the pipe into soft soap, 
and the first current of water in the morning will remove it entirely, 



488 WHA T E VER V ONE SITO ULD KNO W. 

and leave the pipe as clean as new The so-called potash lye is not 
recommended fo thi purpose The lye should be kept in heavy 
glas'- bottle* or demijohn, covered with wicker-work and plainly 
labeled alway unde lock when not in actua' use. 

Waste-paper Basket for the Kitchen. — Get the cheapest willow 
basket, cither square or round, tha i in the market, and instead of 
running ribbon between the reeds use strips of enameled cloth or 
common shelf oil-cloth. Have th strips double, with the cloth side 
in, and pink b(jth edges; then cu apiece of oil-cloth to fit the bot- 
tom, and 3'^ou have an attractive and durable basket. 

^A/'asp Sting — cure for. — Apply an onion to the part affected, and 
the cure will be instantaneous. 

Watch — how to regulate. — First, ascertain how many vibrations 
the watch beats in one" minute, by counting every other vibration and 
comparing that time with a well-regulated watch or regulator. In 
general, Swiss watches beat 18,000 in one hour, viz., 300 in one min- 
ute; Ameri'can watches, 16,200, or 270 per minute; and the English 
levers, 14,400, or 240 per minute. If there is any doubt, it is better 
to count up leaves and teeth, and ascertain the right number; but 
these cases are scarce where watches will beat odd numbers. 

Having found out the right number, examine the balance carefully 
for one or two minutes, counting every vibration going from right to 
left, and in the meantime examine the regulator or clock, to see when 
one minute is up. If the watch is well regulated, the number of 
vibrations must be exactly half of the regular first number, viz., 150, 
135, or 120, as only every other' vibration has been recorded to facili- 
tate the observation. If not so, move the regulator, right or left, until 
a perfect coincidence comes. 

Watch Dials — to restore. — If the dial be painted, clean the figure 
off with spirits of wine, or anything else that will render the dial per- 
fectly clean; then heat it to a bright red, and plunge it into a strong 
solution of cyanide of potassium; then wash in soap and water, and 
dry in box dust. Repeat if not a good color. India ink, ground with 
gum water, will do for the figures. 

Watch Dials (Silver) — to whiten. — Flatten a piece of charcoal bv 
rubbing it on a flat stone; on this place the dial face upward; apply a 
gentle heat carefully with the Llow-pipe, allowing the flame to play ' 
all over the surface of the dial without touching it, so as to thorough- 
ly heat without warping the dial. Then pickle and rinse, using acid 
enough to make the water very tart, and immersing but for a few 
seconds. Silver dials may also be annealed by heating ihem red hot 
on a flat piece of copper over a clear fire. 

Waler-creos (Stewed). — The following recipe may be new, and 
will be found an agreeable and wholesome dish: Lay the cress in 
strong salt and water, to clear it from insects. Pick and wash nicely, 
and stew it in water for about ten minutes drain and chop; season 
with pepper and salt; add a little butter, and return it to the stew- 
pan until well heated. Add a little vinegar first before serving; put 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 489 

around it sippets of toast or fried bread. The above, made thin, as 
a substitute for parsley and butter, will be found an excellent cover- 
ing? for a boiled fowl. There should be more of the cress consider- 
ably than of the parsley, as the flavor is much milder. 

Water — to clarify. — Add two ounces powdered alum and two 
ounces borax to a twenty-barrel cistern of rainwater that is blackened 
or oily, and in a few hours the sediment will settle, and the water be 
clarified and fit for washing. 

Water — to filter quickly. — When it is desirable to filter water 
quickly, for immediate use, employ the following method: Put a 
quart of clean water over the fire and just bring it to a boil; remove 
it and strain it three or four times through flannel; cool it and keep 
it for use in a covered jar or pitcher. 

Water (Mineral). — Epsom salts, one ounce; cream tartar, one- 
half ounce; tartaric acid, one-fourth ounce; loaf sugar, one pound; 
oil of birch, twenty drops; put one quart cold water on two table- 
spoonfuls yeast (wintergreen oil will do), let it work two hours and 
then bottle. 

Water (Congress) — for fountains. — Common salt, seven and 
three-fourths ounces; hydrate of soda, twenty grains; bicarbonate of 
soda, twenty grains; calcined magnesia, one ounce. Add to ten 
gallons of water, and then charge with gas. 

Water (Kissingen) — for fountains. — Bicarbonate of soda, one 
dram; carbonate of lime, two drams and two scruples; precipitate 
carbonate of lime, two scruples; common salt, eight ounces; muriate 
of ammonia, four grains; sulphate of soda, two drams and two scru- 
ples; sulphate of magnesia, two ounces; phosphate of soda, thirteen 
grains; phosphate of lime, two drams and two scruples. Mix; add 
water, three-fourths of a gallon. Let it stand for six hours; filter; 
add carbonate of magnesia, three drams and one scruple, and charge 
'with ten gallons of water. 

Water (Vichy) — for fountains. — Sulphate of potass, two drams; 
sulphate of soda, twenty-five grains; common salt, six drams; bicar- 
bonate of ammonia, ten grains. Mix; add water, one gallon. Let 
it stand one day; filter, and then charge with ten gallons of water. 

Waterproofing for Boots and Shoes. — Linseed oil, one pint; oil 
of turpentine, or camphine, a quarter of a pint; yellow wax, a quar- 
ter of a pound; Burgundy pitch, a quarter of a pound. To be melted 
together with a gentle heat, and when required for use, to be warmed 
and well rubbed into the leather before a fire, or in the hot sun. 
Should be poured, when melted, into small gallipots or tin boxes. 

Water Ice (Strawberry). — Take two quarts of strawberries, the 
juice of a lemon, a pound of sugar, or one pint of strong syrup, half 
a pint of water. Mix, first rubbing the fruit through a sieve, and 
freeze. 

Water Ice (Lemon). — Lemon juice and water, each half a pint; 
strong syrup, one pint; the rind of the lemons should be rasped off 
before squeezing with lump sugar, which is to be added to the juice; 



490 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W, 

mix the whole; strain after standing an hour, and freeze. Beat up 
with a little sugar the whites of two or three eggs, and as the ice is 
begining to set, work this in with the spatula, which will much inY 
prove the consistency and taste. 

Water Ice (Orange). — May be made in the same way. 
Water-lilies — to grow. — Water-lilies can be cultivated by sinking 
half a hogshead even with the ground, placing in the soil taken from 
the bottom of a pond, and planting a few roots therein. The hogs- 
head is to be kept full of water, and the year following a crop of 
lilies surpassing those usually found in ponds in a wild state will be 
produced. 

Water-'ways — to purify. — i. A tablespoonful of pulverized alum 
sprinkled in a hogshead of water (the water stirred at the same time) 
will, after a few hours, by precipitating to the bottom the impure 
particles, so purify it that it will be found to possess nearly all the 
freshness and clearness of the finest spring water. A pailful, con- 
taining four gallons, may be purified by a single teaspoonful of the 
alum. 

2. The most impure water may be made pure by filtering through 
charcoal. Take a large flower-pot, put a piece of sponge or clean 
moss over the hole in the bottom, fill three-quarters full of equal 
parts of clean sand and charcoal the size of a pea; over this lay a 
woolen cloth large enough to hang over the sides of the pot. Pour 
the water over the cloth and it will come out pure. 

Water (Hard) — to soften. — Bean or oatmeal will soften hard 
water. The bran should be sewed in a muslin bag and kept in the 
water all night. The oatmeal should be treated as follows: Put two 
tablespoonfuls in a saucepan and pour a quantity of hot water upon 
and boil it a quarter of an hour; strain and mix with the water as 
needed. 

Water — to test its purity. — To test the purity of water, put half 
a pint in a perfectly clean bottle; add a few grains of lump or loaf 
sugar; make tight — a glass-stopper preferred. Place the bottle m a 
warm, well-lighted room. If it remains clear after an exposure of 
eight to ten days, it is safe to use; but if it becomes turbid it is sure- 
ly impure and unsafe to drink. 

Water (Hard) — to test. — The proper test of hard water is soap. 
When soap comes in contact with the sulphate of lime, as in washing, 
it curdles, forming a new soap, which will not dissolve, and v hich 
often is seen floating on the surface in the shape of a greasy scum. 
The better plan of testing water for lime is to " dissolve a little soap 
in alcohol, and place a few drops of it in the water to be examined. 
If it remains clear, the water is perfectly soft; if it becomes turbid or 
opaque, the water is ranked as hard." 

Waterproofing Cloth. — In a pail of soft water put half a pound of 
sugar of lead (the acetate of lead), and half a pound of alum; stir this 
at intervals until it becomes clear; then pour it off into another pail, 
and put the garment therein, and let it be in for twenty-four hours, 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 491 

and then hang it up to dry without wringing it. Have worn garments 
thus treated in the wildest storm of wind and rain without getting 
wet. The rain hangs upon the cloth in globules; in short, they are 
really waterproof. 

Waterproofing for Clothing. — Boiled oil, fifteen pounds; bees- 
wax, one pound; ground litharge, thirteen pounds; mix and apply 
with a brush to the article, previously stretched against a wall or a 
table, well washing and drying each article before applying the com- 
position. 

Waterproofing (Invisible). — Imbue the cloth on the wrong side with 
a solution of isinglass, alum and soap dissolved in water, forming an 
emulsion of a milky thickness; apply with a brush, rubbing in well. 
When dry, it is brushed on the wrong side against the grain, and 
then gone over with a brush dipped in water; afterward brushed 
down smooth. 

Waterproof for Porous Cloth. — Dissolve two and one-half pounds 
alum in four gallons water; dissolve also in a separate vessel the same 
weight acetate of lead in the same quantity of water. When both 
are well dissolved, mix the solutions together; and, when the sulphate 
of lead resulting from this mixture has been precipitated to the bot- 
tom of the vessel in the form of a powder, pour off the solution and 
plunge into it the fabric to be rendered waterproof. Wash and rub it 
well during a few minutes, and hang it in the air to dry. 

Wax — to bleach. — First sheet it; keep it in the sunshine. To half 
a pound of good white wax add one-quarter ounce balsam of fir. You 
can guess the quantity; less will do; if you get in too much it will be 
sticky. Pour boiling water into the cup and let the wax melt gradu- 
ally, then put in the balsam; have a dish of hot soap-suds; dip your 
mold in that, then into the wax quickly, then in cold water and slip it 
off. 

Weakness in Children. — When a little one toddles weakly about, 
as if had to make an effort to place one foot before the other, bathe 
its back in weak alum water, and rub gently until there is a glow. 
Half a teaspoon of salt in three pints of water will do as a wash in 
summer if care is taken to keep from getting cold. A tea-cup of 
water, a small pinch of salt, and a tablespoonful of brandy is very 
strengthening to rub on. 

Weeds — to kill. — If one will, when the dew is on. sprinkle a little 
fine salt on the leaves of any plant he wishes to kill, he will be both 
surprised and pleased at the result. Beginning some years ago with 
a few quarts annually, we now use some thousand pounds of salt 
each year in killing weeds, while no injury to the land or the crops is 
perceptible. 

Weights — to raise. — An immense weight may be raised a short 
distance by tightening the rope between it and a support and then 
wetting the rope. The moisture imbibed into the rope by capilary 
attraction causes it to become shorter. 

Weights and Measures — pounds per bushel. — Foreign salt. 



492 IV//A T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

coarse, eighty-five; unslaked lime, eighty; bituminous coal, seventy- 
six; corn in ear, seventy; foreign salt, ground, seventy; clover seed, 
sixty-two; foreign salt, fine, sixty-two; wheat, sixty; white beans, 
sixty; peas, sixty; onions, fifty-seven; Irish potatoes, fifty-six, shelled 
corn, fifty-six; rye, fifty-six; flaxseed, fifty-six; sweet potatoes, fifty- 
five; cornmeal, fifty; turnips, fifty-five; buckwheat, forty-eight, bar- 
ley, forty-seven; castor beans, forty-six; timothy-seed, forty-five; 
blue grass seed, forty-four; hemp seed, forty-four; coke, forty; malt, 
forty-eight; dried peaches, thirty-three; oats, thirty; dried apples, 
twenty-four; ground peas, twenty-four; bran, twenty; plastering hair, 
eight. 

Weight of Earth, Rock, etc. — A cubic yard of sand or ground 
weighs about thirty hundredweight ; mud, twenty-five hundred- 
weight; marl, twenty-six hundredweight; clay, thirty one hundred- 
weight ; chalk, thirty-six hundredweight ; sandstone, thirty-nine 
hundredweight; shale, forty hundredweight; quarts, forty-one hun- 
dredweight; granite, forty-two hundredweight; trap, forty-two 
hundredweight; slate, forty-three hundredweight. 

Weights which Answer to Certain Measures. — A tablespoonful 
is frequently mentioned in a recipe, in the prescriptions of medical 
men, and also in medical, chemical, and gastronomical works. By 
it is generally meant and understood a measure or bulk equal to that 
which would be produced by half an ounce of water. 

A dessertspoonful is half of a tablespoonful; that is to say, by it is 
meant a measure or bulk equal to a quarter of an ounce of water. 

A teaspoonful is equal in quantity to a dram of water, 

A Drop. — This is the name of a vague kind of measure, and is so 
called on account of the liquid being dropped from the mouth of a 
bottle. Its quantity, however, will vary, cither from the consistency 
of the liquid or the size and shape of the mouth of the bottle. The 
college of physicians determined the quantity of a drop to be one 
grain, sixty drops making one fluid dram. Their drop, or sixtieth 
part of a fluid dram, is called a mimim. 

Graduated glass measures can be obtained at any chemist's, and 
they save much trouble. One of these, containing a wine pint, is 
divided into sixteen ounces, and the ounces into eight drams of liquid, 
by which any certain weight mentioned in a recipe can be accurately 
measured out. Home-made measures of this kind can readily be 
formed by weighing the water contained in any given measure, and 
marking on any tall glass the space it occupies. This mark can 
easily be made with a file. It will be interesting to many readers to 
know the basis on which the French found their system of weights 
and measures, for it certainly possesses the grandeur of simplicity. 
The meter, which is the basis of the whole system of French weights 
and measures, is the exact measurement of one forty-millionth part 
of a meridian of the earth. 

Weight of Live Cattle — to determine. — Measure in .inches the 
girth around the breast, just behind the shoulder-blade, and the 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 493 

length of the back from the tail to the fore part of the shoulder blade. 
Multiply the girth by the length, and divide by one hundred and 
forty-four. If the girth is less than three feet multiply the quotient 
by eleven. If between three and five feet multiply by sixteen. If 
between five and seven feet multiply by twenty-three. If between 
seven and nine feet multiply by thirty-one. If the animal is lean de- 
duct one-twentieth from the result, or take the girth and length in 
feet, multiply the square of the girth by the length, and multiply the 
product by 3.36. The result will be the answer in pounds. The 
live weight multiplied by 6.05, gives a near approximation to the net 
weight. 

Welding Cast Steel. — Borax, ten parts; sal-ammoniac, one part; 
grind or pound them roughly together; then fuse them in a metal pot 
over a clear fire, taking care to continue the heat until all spume has 
disappeared from the surface. When the liquid appears clear, the 
composition is ready to be poured out to cool and concrete; after- 
ward, being ground to a fine powder, it is ready for use. 'To use this 
composition, the steel to be welded is raised to. a heat which may be 
expressed by " bright yellow;" it is then dipped among the weld- 
ing powder, and again placed in the fire until it attains the same 
degree of heat as before; it is then ready to be placed under the 
hammer. 

Wells — to remove foul air from. — A correspondent gives an ac- 
count of an extemporized apparatus for removing carbonic acid gas 
from wells. It was simply an opened-out umbrella let down and 
rapidly hauled up a number of times in succession. The effect was 
to remove the gas in a few minutes from a well so foul as to instantly 
extinguish a candle previous to the use of the umbrella. Whenever 
there is an escape of gas in an apartment, the adoption of this plan 
will be found useful. 

Well Water — to purify. — Many people in the country who are 
compelled to drink well water are boiling all that is used in the fam- 
ily. The question is frequently asked how long it should be boiled. 
The best chemists say that half an hour's boiling is considered suffi- 
cient to destroy disease germs, if any exists in the water. 

Well Water — to keep sweet. — The usual way to rid a well of 
worms and such-like obnoxious visitors has been to pump the water 
out; but a writer says that he purified his well water, which was sub- 
ject to many wcms, bugs and other insects as to render it almost 
unfit for drinking, by placing in the well a couple of good-sized 
trout. They have kept perfectly healthy, and have eaten up every 
living thing in the water. In the winter season crum.bs of bread and 
crackers are thrown in. The water is perfectly pure and sweet. 

Welsh rarebit (Welsh) — to make. — i. A Welsh rarebit is a pleasant 
variation for breakfast, and is made by melting a quarter of a pound 
of cheese, cut fine, in a pint of sweet cream or milk, and when the 
cheese and milk are boiling, stirring in quickly a well-beaten egg 
the moment before removing from the fire, spreading upon hot but- 



494 ^-^A T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

tered toast, and serving immediately upon small hot plates, one to 
each person breakfasting at your table. The cheese will harden, and 
this dish be spoiled, if allowed to grow cold before eating it. Those 
who are fond of high seasoning, can mix a tablespoonful of liquefied 
mustard and cayenne pepper in melted butter, and pour into this 
dish while it is cooking. 

2. One teacupful of chopped cheese, one teacupful of milk, one 
egg, butter size of a butternut; boil milk, butter, and cheese until 
smooth paste; add the egg well beaten and turn at once upon half 
slices of toast well buttered. Serve hot. 

Wen — ways to remove. — l. Wens have been removed by painting 
them with collodion. The pressure that this exerts on the tumor les- 
sens its blood supply, and gradually diminution takes place. 

2. Take the yolks of eggs, beat up, and add as much fine salt as 
will dissolve, and apply a plaster to the wen every ten hours. It 
cures without pain or any inconvenience. 

3. Dissolve copperas in water to make it very strong; now take a 
pin, needle, or sharp knife, and prick or cut the wen in about a dozen 
places, just sufficient to cause it to bleed; then wet it well with the 
copperas water, once daily. 

Wheat Bran for Animals. — I have ever found wheat bran an un- 
profitable food for swine. They do not seem to possess the power of 
perfectly digesting it. In consequence of this, much of the bran 
passes through them undigested, or at least only partially assimilated. 
"When mixed with Indian or other meal it digests better, but still not 
so well as to be washed. For growing cattle and dairy cows it is 
good feed, if mixed with cut hay well wetted. Then it takes a second 
mastication with the hay in a cud, and is thus fully prepared for com- 
plete digestion. Wheat bran is an excellent food for colts, mixed 
half and half with oats, or fed dry by itself during the winter, at the 
rate of two or three quarts morning and evening, according to the 
size of the animal. It may also be advantageously mixed with meal 
or oats for horses doing moderate work; but those who are kept at 
very hard or very fast work should be limited to a bran mash every 
Saturday night, if not to be taken out on Sunday. If they are, then 
give the mash some other evening, when they will have a rest the 
next day. Bran, mixed half and half with Indian or other meal, is 
good for hens, and also for growing chickens, after they are one or 
two months of age. 

Whiskers — to promote the growth of. — The best method to force 
the growth of whiskers and mustaches is to shave the parts frequently. 
Use as a stimulant the ashes of burned tobacco, and bay-water. 

White Woolens — to wash. — To wash white blankets, sheets, flan- 
nels, etc., have a tub of warm suds and also a tub of clear, warm 
water. Wash the articles quickly through the suds, using no soap if 
possible. Then put them through the tub of clear water and rinse in 
warm water without bluing. 

White Lead — substitute for. — Sulphate of barytes ground in oil 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 495 

and applied like paint. It can also be used to reduce white lead to 
any desired extent. 

Whitewash — to ^clean from ceiling. — Take three pints of flour 
and beat thoroughly in cold water, then pour boiling water to it until 
cooked; dissolve one pound of alum in hot water, and pour in the 
paste. Use the paste quite thick. Apply to the ceiling with a white- 
wash brush, being sure to cover the ceiling thoroughly; then close 
the room, and let it stand over night. In the morning the bits of 
lime left clinging to the ceiling are easily scraped off. Be sure to 
carry everything from the room before commencing work, as the lime 
falls to the floor. 

Whitewash—good and durable. — Take half a bushel of freshly- 
burned lime, slake it with boiling water; cover it during the process, 
to keep in the steam. Stiain the liquid through a fine sieve, and add 
to it seven pounds of salt, previously well dissolved in warm water; 
three pounds of ground rice, boiled to a thin paste and stirred in boil- 
ing hot; one-half pound of powdered Spanish whiting; one pound of 
clean glue, which has been previously dissolved by soaking it well, 
and then hanging it over a slow fire in a small kettle with a large one 
filled with water. Add five gallons of hot water to the mixture, stir 
It well, and let it stand a few days covered from dirt. It must be put 
on quite hot. For this purpose it can be kept in a kettle on a porta- 
ble furnace. 

Whitewash (Brilliant). — Slake clean lumps of well burned white 
lime. To five gallons of the wash thus made add a quarter of a 
pound of whiting, or of burnt alum pulverized, half a pound of loaf- 
sugar, one quart and a half of rice flour made into a thin and well- 
boiled paste, and half a pound of white glue dissolved and boiled in 
water. Apply cold within doors, but warm outside. This will last 
many years. 

Whitewash — to color. — To color whitewash a bright red, a dark 
red, a green, a sky-blue, or a drab, use the following: For reds, a fine 
red lake; green, a chrome green; blue; ultramarine, and drab, a lake 
of the desired tint. 

Whitewash — to harden, — To one-half pail of comm.on white- 
wash add one-half pint of flour. Pour on boiling water in quantity 
to thickrn it. Then add six gallons of the lime water, and stir well. 

Whitewash that will not Rub Off. — Mix up half a pailful of iime 
and water, ready to put on the wall; then take one-quarter pint of 
flour, mix it up with water; then pour on it boiling water, a sufficient 
quantity to thicken it; then pour it while hot into the whitewash, stir 
all well together, and it is ready for use. Alum is one of the best 
additions to make whitewash of lime that will not rub off. When 
powdered chalk is used, glue water is also good, but would not answer 
for outside work exposed to much rain. 

Whitewash — for outside use, — The best method of making a 
whitewash for outside exposure is to slake half a bushel of lime in a 
barrel, add one pound of common salt, half a pound of the sulphate 



496 WIIA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

of zinc, and a gallon of sweet milk. Any desired color may be im- 
parted to whitewash by addmg coloring matter to suit. 

Whitewash — ways to make. — i. The recipe for whitewashing 
sent out by the Lighthouse Board of the Treasury Department has 
been found by experience to answer on wood, brick and stone nearly 
as well as oil-paint, and is much cheaper. Slake half a bushel of un- 
slaked lime with boihng water, keeping it covered during the process. 
Strain it, and add a peck of salt, dissolve in warm water; three 
pounds of ground rice put in boiling water and boiled to a thin paste; 
one-half pound of powdered Spanish whiting, and a pound of clear 
glue, dissolved in warm water. Mix these well together, and let the 
mixture stand for several days. Keep the wash thus prepared in a 
kettle or portable furnace, and when used put it on as hot as possible 
"with either painters' or whitewash brushes. 

2. Take sixteen pounds of the best Paris white, half a pound of 
white transparent glue; prepare as follows: The glue is covered at 
night with cold water, and in the morning is carefully heated, with- 
out scorching, until dissolved. The Paris white is stirred in with hot 
water, to give the proper consistency of applying to walls. Except 
on very dark and smoky walls, a single coat is sufficient. 

Whitening the Hands. — Dilute glycerine with lemon juice for 
whitening the hands; alone it is sticky and unpleasant. 

White Worms — to destroy.— The white worms which infest, oc- 
casionally, all soils where plants are kept in pots, may be removed 
as follows; Sprinkle lime-water over the soil, or sprinkle a little 
slaked lime on the earth and in the saucer of the pot. Lime water 
may be easily made by slaking a large piece of lime in a pail of cold 
water, letting this settle, and then bottling the clear water for use. 
Give each pot a tablespoonful twice a week. 

Whooping Cough — treatment of. — Dr. Grath, of Vienna, pro- 
poses a singular treatment for this distressing ailment, which will 
doubtless receive careful consideration from the medical profession. 
He states that by placing twenty drops of the oil of turpentine on a 
handkerchief, holding it before the face, and taking about forty deep 
inspirations, to be repeated thrice daily, marked relief, succeeded in 
cases of laryngeal catarrah by a speedy cure, will be the result. Being 
called in to attend an infant of fifteen months in the convulsive 
stage, he instructed the child's mother to hold a cloth, moistened as 
already described, before it when awake, and to drop the oil upon its 
pillow when asleep. In this instance the remedy in its effect was 
most beneficial. The frequency and severity of the attacks sensibly 
decreased in the course of twenty-four hours, and by proper support 
by the help of stimulants, improvement was rapid. 

Whooping Cough — remedies. — i. To empty the child's stomach 
by a lobelia emetic, is the first step. After this make a syrup of 
sugar, ginger-root, a little water, and enough lobelia tincture to pro- 
duce a slight nausea. This, given two or three times a day, will 
loosen the cough very much. 



IVHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 497 

\ 2. The inhalation of air charged with ammonia vapors, as a 
vemedy for whooping cough, has been tried in France with success. 
One of the methods of application employed is boiling ammonia in 
the room where the patient is. 

Window-blinds — to clean. — Strong soap will destroy green paint 
more readily than other colors, having the same effect that it has 
wiih grease. Many rooms are soiled by the ignorance or careless- 
ness of wash women, in the application of strong soap water. Much 
better use whiting on the soiled places and weak solution of soap in 
cleansing, by which the luster will be preserved. 

Wine (Blackberry). — Blackberry and strawberry wines are made 
by taking the above wine when made with port wine, and for every 
ten gallons from four to six quarts of the fresh fruit, bruised and 
strained, are added, and let stand four days till the flavor is extract- 
ed; when bottling, add three or four broken raisins to each bottle. 

Wine (Currant). — To every gallon of expressed juice, add two 
gallons soft water, six pounds brown sugar, cream tartar, one and 
one-half ounce, and one quart brandy to every six gallons; some 
prefer it without brandy. After fermentation, take four ounces 
isinglass dissolved in one pint of the wine, and put to each barrel, 
which will fine and clear it, when it must be drawn into clean casks, 
or bottled, which is preferable. 

Wine (Rhubarb). — To each gallon of juice, add one gallon of soft 
water, in which seven pounds brown sugar have been dissolved; fill 
a keg or barrel with this proportion, leaving the bung out, and keep 
it filled with sweetened water as it works off, until clear. Any other 
vegetable extract may be used if this is not liked; then bung down 
or bottle as you please. The stalks will yield three-fourths their 
weight in juice; fine and settle with isinglass as above. This wine 
will not lead to intemperance. 

Wine (Ginger). — i. Water tfta gallons, lump sugar tw-enty pounds, 
bruised ginger eight ounces, three or four eggs. Boil well and skim, 
then pour hot on six or seven lemons cut in slices, macerate for two 
hours, then rack and ferment; next add spirit two quarts, and after- 
ward finings, one pint, rummage well. 

2. To one quart ninty-five per cent, alcohol, add one ounce best 
ginger-root (bruised not ground), five grains capsicum and one dram 
tartaric acid. Let it stand one week and filter; now add one gallon 
water in which one pound of crushed sugar has been boiled. Mix 
when cold. To make the color, boil one-half ounce cochineal, 
three-fourth ounce cream tartar, one-half ounce, saleratus, and one- 
half ounce alum, in one pint of water till you get a bright-red 
color. 

Wine (Morella). — To each quart of the expressed juice of the 
morell^ or tame cherries, add three quarts water and four pounds of 
coarse brown sugar; let them ferment, and skim till worked clear; 
then draw off, avoiding the sediment at the bottom. Bung up or 



498 IVHA T E VER V ONE SHOULD KNO W. 

bottle, which is best for all wines, letting the bottles lie always oe 
the side, either for wines or beers. 

Wine (Port). — Worked cider, forty-two gallons; good port wina, 
twelve gallons; good brandy, three gallons; pure spirits, six gallons; 
mix. Elderberries and aloes, and the fruit of the black haws, make a 
fine purple color for wines, or use burned sugar. 

Wine (Raisin) — equal to sherry. — Boil the proper quantity of 
water and let it stand till cold. To each gallon of this add four 
pounds of chopped raisins, previously well washed, and freed from 
stalks; let the whole stand for one month, stirring frquently; then 
remove the raisins and bung up closely for one month more; 
then rack into another vessel, leaving all sediment behind, and repeat 
till it becomes fine; then to every ten gallons add six pounds of fine 
sugar and one dozen of good oranges, the rind being pared very thin, 
and infused in two quarts of brandy, which should be added to the 
liquor at its last racking. Let the whole stand three months in the 
cask, then bottle. It should remain bottled twelve months. To give 
it the flavor of Madeira, when it is in the cask, put in a couple of 
green citrons, and let them remain till the wine is bottled. 

Wine made from the Wild Grape. — Many a housekeeper feels 
the inconvenience of a protracted absence from home in summer, 
when she views her shortened allowance of stores in the way of pre- 
serves, pickles and home-made Avines. Yet even late in the fall she 
may find room for activity. The small, wild grape, known to boys 
as the " bird grape," never attains its full sweetness until after the 
fall of frost, and makes an excellent wine for culinary purposes. 
Mash the grapes in a large bowl or tub with a mallet, and keep them 
in a warm place until there is some sign of fermentation setting in. 
Then strain the juice by dripping through a flannel bag or strong yet 
slightly porous cotton cloth. To three quarts of juice add one quart of 
water and three pounds of light brown sugar. If you put it away in 
a demijohn, select a warm, dry closet, and tie up the mouth closely 
with a piece of thin muslin: Do not cork up tight until the whole 
process is complete. It will be all the better if fermentation ensues 
speedily, but if the place of deposit is not warm enough, never mind; 
as soon as the first warm days of spring come it will go on to ferment 
as though there had been no interruption to the process, and be none 
the worse for the delay. After all, it will make wine much sooner 
than if you waited even for blackberry season. 

Wine (Flat) — to restore. — Add four or five gallons of sugar, 
honey or bruised raisins to every one. hundred gallons, and bung 
close; a little spirits may be added, to roughen; take bruised aloes or 
powdered catechu, and add to the wine in suitable proportions, or 
add a small quantity of bruised berries of the mountain ash, 
to allay inordinate flatness. Let it stand two hours and bottle, using 
yeast, of course, as before. « 

Willow Furniture — to clean. — To clean willow furniture use salt 
and water, and apply with a coarse brush, and dry thoroughly. 



\ WHAT EVERY ONE SHOULD KNOW. 499 

\Windgalls or Puffs. — Windgalls are puffy swellings occurring 
along the tendons of the legs of horses, below the knee. They are 
the results of sprains or strains of the tendons, and are generally 
filled with synovial fluid, or lymph, or serum. A padded bandage, 
with astringent lotions applied two hours a day at first, adding two 
hours every day after until it is kept on continually is the usual rem- 
edy. Rest from work is helpful to cure. 

Wings of Birds — to preserve.— jPlace them as you wish and dry 
them slowly before the fire. We cure turkeys' wings by spreading 
them on the hearth and placing a smoothing-iron on them to hold 
them in place until the moisture and oil be dried out; sometimes it 
takes several days. 

Window Gardening Hints. — A very common error in window 
gardening is that of attempting too much. Too many plants are 
crowded into the little space at command, so that it is impossible to 
give each the air and light it should have. Again, plants of too 
diverse characters are brought together. It is no uncommon thing 
to see tropical plants and plants from the temperate zone, if not even 
Alpine plants, all crowded into the same window and subject to the 
same temperature and treatment. Better far to have one healthy, 
well-grown plant that will yield its flower in perfection, than a 
dozen sickly, feeble, wretched plants that have no beauty either of 
leaf or blossom. 

Window Gardens. — Economical devices in the way of window 
gardening are often very effective. I once saw a window arranged 
very prettily with a common soap-box and a few plants. The box 
was fastened by two sticks, reaching from the floor to the box. In 
the box, which was about two-thirds full of earth, were planted 
geraniums, heliotrope, and the white begonia, sometimes called wax 
plant. The geraniums, which were of the scarlet variety, were 
placed in the center of the box, with the begonias around them; then 
came the heliotrope, in full bloom, and sending the fragrance of its 
flowers all over the room. Around the front of the box moneywort 
and variegated air-plants were growing almost to the floor, and com- 
pletely hiding the box. A bay-window may be decorated in a cheap 
manner by standing two terra cotta drain pipes on opposite sides of 
the window, and against the wall. A small square of oil-cloth will 
prevent their soiling the carpet. Now, in the one on the sunniest 
side, put a pot containing a barclyana and a scarlet geranium; on the 
other side put a pot of German ivy with a plant of lantana. Over the 
top of your pots plant Kenilworth ivy seed. Train your vines on 
wires or strings so as to form an arch, and you will soon have as 
pretty an ornament to your room as you would wish for. If you 
have a flat window, where there is very little sun, you may make it 
beautiful by arranging a box in the manner above described, and 
filling it with fuchsias. They should be kept warm and moist. Ferns 
make a beautiful ornament to a room, and can be kept in the shade. 
A fern basket must always be moist. 



500 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

Windows — to imitate ground glass. — Windows are crystalizei/ 
or made to imitate ground glass, by dissolving epsom salts in hot 
beer or a weak solution of gum arable. You can njake any pattern 
or border you please by cutting out a design on a sheet of pasteboard 
and rubbing the design with a damp cloth. 

Window-glass — to incrust w^ith jew^els. — Dissolve dextnne in a 
concentrated solution of sulphate of magnesia, sulphate of zinc, sul- 
phate of copper or other metallic salts; strain the liquid and brush a 
thin coat of it over the glass and dry slowly at the ordinary tempera- 
ture, keeping the glass level. For protection it may be varnished. 
The effect produced is that of an incrustation of diamonds, sapphires, 
etc., according to the color of the salt used. 

Window-plants — cultivation of. — Those who keep plants during 
the winter will find their success to depend upon supplying them 
with the needed water, heat, and air, and in preserving them from in- 
sects and dust. These matters are easily regulated in a greenhouse, 
but it is more difficult with plants in window culture. 

Watering requires judgment. To saturate the earth in a pot by a 
daily soaking is a slow but sure way of killing a plant. The roots 
need air, which they cannot get if they are surrounded by mud. It 
is better to allow the plant to flag a little than, to over-water it. Care- 
fully watch the plants and only give water when they show that they 
need it. 

Hanging baskets are best watered by plunging them in a pail or 
tub of water until the ball of earth is well soaked. Allow the excess 
to drip, and when this ceases, return the basket to its place. 

Heat for House-plants. — Living-rooms are often kept too hot 
for plants, as well as for the inmates. The nearer the temperature 
can be kept at seventy degrees, with a fall of ten or fifteen degrees 
during the night, the better for both. 

Cold nights in some localities may injure plants at the windows. 
Remove them, when severe cold is expected, to the middle of the 
room, and if necessary cover them with a sheet or with newspapers. 

Give fresh air whenever the outside temperature will allow, if for 
only a few minutes at a time, avoiding a cold draft directly upon the 
plants. 

Dust is a great obstacle to successful window gardening. Ivies 
and all other smooth-leaved plants may be kept clean by washing 
the leaves with a sponge or soft cloth. Plants with downy leaves 
should be set in a bathtub or sink, and freely showered by water 
from a pot with a fine rose, held high above them. W^hen the room 
is swept, the plants should be covered with a thin cloth, or with 
newspapers, kept from resting on them; these are to remain over them 
until the dust settles. 

Insects. — Those who carefully watch their plants can observe the 
first appearance of insects, and will rarely need anything more than 
the thumb and finger, or a brush, to remove the pests. .Where plant 
lice are numerous, showering with tobacco water and afterward with 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 501 

clear water will kill them. Scale insects and mealy bugs are easily- 
removed by hand, using a small pointed stick. 

Chrysanthemums that have bloomed in pots should have the stems 
cut off as soon as they are out of the flower, and the pots containing 
the roots removed to the cellar, v/here they should be looked to and 
not ever allowed to get so dry as to kill the roots. 

Windows — to clean. — Chamois, or buckskin, cleans a window 
very nicely; but if the wings of turkeys, geese or large fowls are 
saved and well dried there is nothing better — far more economical 
than chamois, beside removing all the dirt more effectually. With 
the wings all the dirt can be taken out of corners, and when done 
there will be no lint on the glass. 

Nothing is better for cleaning stoves, brushing out corners or 
brushing off furniture than a good, clean wing. 

Wire — to color. — To color bright wire black or blue and perfectly 
smooth, the same as hair-pins, take of asphaltum, three ounces; 
boiled oil, four quarts; burned umber, eight ounces; mix by heat, 
and thin with turpentine (oil) before the mixture becomes cool. Dip 
the wire in this (not too thick) and harden in a japanner's oven at as 
high a heat as it will bear without blistering. 

Wood Ashes — fof fertilizing. — The best results from wood ashes 
are secured by adding a small proportion of common salt. Ashes 
contain all the mineral elements of the plant, and they exert a good 
influence in unlocking fertility that would not be otherwise available. 
In burning anything the chlorine it contains is carried off with the 
smoke, and salt, chloride of sodium, supplies the deficiency. 

W^ood — to ebonize. — Mix up a strong stain of copperas and log- 
wood, to which add powdered nutgall. Stain your wood with this 
solution; dry; rub down well; oil; then use French polish made toler- 
ably dark with indigo or finely powdered stone blue. 

Wood — to make indestructible. — To make wood indestructible 
from rot or fire immerse it in a saturated solution of borax heated 
to the boilmg point. Let the wood remain in the solution twelve 
hours; take out; dry; immerse again in a weaker solution three hours 
and dry. 

Woodwork — to render inflammable. — Woodwork strongly im- 
pregnated with tungstate of soda or silicate of soda — by treatment in 
strong aqueous solution of these salts — will be found to be quite un- 
inflammabl*e. 

Wood — to render indestructible. — Robbins' process: The appar- 
aratus used consists of a retort or still, which can be made of any 
size or form, in which resin, coal tar, or other oleaginous substances, 
together with water, are placed in order to subject them to the heat. 
Fire being applied beneath the retort containing the coal tar, etc., 
oleaginous vapor commences to rise, and passes out through a con- 
necting pipe into a large iron tank or chamber (which can also be 
built of any size), containing the timber, etc., to be operated upon. 
The heat acts at once upon the wood, causing the sap to flow from 



502 WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

every pore, which, rising in the form of steam, condenses on the body 
of the chamber, and discharges through an escape pipe in the lower 
part. In this process a temperature of two hundred and twelve to 
two hundred and fifty degrees Fahrenheit is sufficient to remove the 
surface moisture from the wood; but after this the temperature should 
be raised to three hundred degrees or more, in order to completely 
saturate and permeate the body of the wood with the antiseptic vapors 
and heavier products of the distillation. The hot vapor coagulates the 
albumen of the wood, and opens the pores, so that a large portion of 
the oily product or creosote is admitted; the contraction resulting 
from the cooling process hermetically seals them, and decay seems to 
be almost impossible. There is a man-hole in the retort, used to 
change or clean out the contents; and the wood chamber is furnished 
with doors made perfectly tight. The whole operation is completed 
in less than one hour, rendering the wood proof against rot, parasites, 
and the attacks of the teredo navilis or naval worm. German stone 
coating for wood : Chalk, forty parts; resin, fifty parts; linseed oil, 
four parts; melt together. To this add one part of oxide of copper, 
afterward one part sulphuric acid; add this last carefully; apply with a 
brush. 

Wood (Light) — to color. — Light woods may be dyed by immer- 
sion. A hne crimson is made as follows : Take one pound of 
ground brazil, boil in three" quarts of water; add one-half ounce of 
cochineal, and boil another half hour; may be improved by washing 
the wood previously with one-half ounce saffron to one quart of 
water; the wood should be pear-wood or sycamore. Purple stain : 
One pound logwood chips, soak in three parts of water, boil well an 
hour; add four ounces pearl-ash, two ounces powdered indigo. Black 
may be produced by copperas and nut-galls, or by japanning with 
two coats of black japan, after which varnish or polish, or use size 
and lampblack previous to laying on japan. A blue stain: One 
pound of oil of vitriol put in a glass bottle with four ounces of indigo; 
lay on the same as black. A fine green : Three pints of the strong- 
est vinegar, four ounces best powdered verdigris (poison), one-half 
ounce sap-green, one-half ounce indigo. A bright yellow may be 
stained with aloes; the whole may be varnished or polished. 

Wood — various statistics about. — A cord of wood is one hundred 
and twenty-eight cubic feet as it lies piled up. The dimensions of a 
cord are usually four feet high, four feet wide, and eight feet long, 
which makes one hundred and twenty-eight feet. Four feet high, 
three feet wide, and ten and two-third feet long make a cord, equal 
to one hundred and twenty-eight feet. But allowing for the inter- 
stices in fairly piled wood, we may reckon a cord to actually contain 
about seventy-two cubic feet of solid wood. Thoroughly dry wood 
weighs about as follows : 

Pounds One cubic ft. One cord. 

Hickory 62 lbs 4,464 

White Oak 53 3, 816 



IVHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 503 

Pounds. One cubid ft. One cord. 

White Ash 49 3,528 

Red Oak - - - \sVz 3,'^l(> 

White Beach - - - - - - - 44 3,240 

Apple Tree 43 3,096 

Black Birch - - 43 3,096 

Black Walnut - . . - - - 42)^ 3,060 

Hard Maple - - 40 2,880 

Soft Maple - - - 37 2,664 

Wild Cherry ------- 37 2,664 

White Elm ------- 36)^ 2,628 

Butternut - - - 3S% 2,556 

Red Cedar 35 2,520 

Yellow Pine - - ' - - - - - 34 2,448 

White Birch ------- 33 2,376 

Chestnut - ------- 32 2,304 

White Pine - - ----- 26 1,876 

The average amount of dry charcoal obtained from a cord, by care- 
ful experiments, ranged as follows • 

Poujzds. 
Hickory - - - - - - - 1,172 

White Ash -__.--- 888 

White Oak - - - - - - t ■ 826 

Apple Tree __-_--- 779 

Black Walnut ------ 687 

White Elm ------- 644 

White Beach ------- 635 

Red Oak -------- 630 

Red Cedar ------- 624 

Hard Maple ------- 617 

Black Birch ------- 604 

Chestnut -------- 59° 

Yellow Pine ------- 585 

Wild Cherry - - • - - - - - 579 

Soft Maple - - - - - - - 55i 

Butternut _.----- 527 

White Pine ---.--- 455 

White Birch ------- 450 

Numerous tests have been made with different kinds of wood to 
ascertain how long one pound of each would, in combustion, main- 
tain ten degrees of heat in the same room. These ranged from six 
hours for butternut, soft maple, and white and black birch, up to six 
hours and forty minutes for hickory, ash, and apple. The variation 
is less than would be expected, but in this case, each kind of wood is 
taken thoroughly dry, so that the experiments are essentially the 
result of burning an equal amount of charcoal from different woods. 
Relative value of a cord of various seasoned woods, taking into ac- 



504 WNA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

count weight, heating power, etc., and calling hickory wood worth 
five dollars a cord: Hickory, $5; white oak, ^4.05; white ash, $3.85; 
apple, $3.50; red oak, $3.45; white beach, $3.25; black walnut, $3.25; 
black birch, $3.15; hard maple, $3; white elm, $2.90; red eedar, $2.80; 
wild cherry, $2.75; soft maple, $2.70; yellow pine, $2.70; chestnut, 
$2.60; butternut, $2.55; white birch, $2.40; white pine, $2.10. 

Wood — to stain. — First, wash the wood with a solution of sul- 
phuric acid and water, made in the proportion of one ounce to a pint 
of warm water. Mix when wanted; put on warm and wash evenly 
over every part. Second, stain the wood thus prepared with tobacco 
stain, using a piece of flannel or sponge, rubbing it in lightly. To 
make the stain, take six pounds common shag tobacco, cover with 
water and boil, letting it simmer slowly away till of the consistence 
of syrup. Strain for use. Third, when entirely dry, brush it over 
with the following mixture: One-half pound bees-wax, one-half pint 
linseed oil, one pint boiled linseed oil. This may be omitted and the 
wood simply varnished and polished instead. When it is desired to 
give the tone of light oak or maple, the solution of sulphuric acid 
should be much weaker, and only a light coat of the stain used. 
When a dark tone is preferred, two coats of the stain should be put 
on. 

"Wood — to petrify. — Gum salt, rock alum, white vinegar, chalk 
and pebbles powder, of each an equal quantity. Mix well together. 
If, after the ebulition is over, you throw into this liquid any wood or 
porous substance, it vv'ill petrify it. 

Wood and Brickwork — to protect from damp weather. — Take 
three pecks of lime, slaked in the air, two pecks of wood-ashes and 
one peck of white sand. Sift them fine, and add linseed oil suflftcient 
to use with a paint bush; thin the first ; use it as thick as it will work 
for the second coat, grind it fine, or beat it in a trough, and it is a 
good composition. 

Woodwork — to cleanse. — Save the tea-leaves for a few days, then 
steep them in a tin pail or pan for half an hour, strain through a sieve 
and use the tea to wash all varnished paint. It requires very little 
"elbow polish," as the tea acts as "a strong detergent, cleansing 
the paint from all impurities and making the varnish equal to new. 
It cleans window sashes and oil-cloths; indeed, any varnished surface 
is improved by its application. It washes window panes and mirrors 
much better than water, and is excellent for cleaning black walnut 
picture and looking-glass frames. It will not do to wash unvarnished 
paint with it. Whiting is unequaled for cleaning white paint. Take 
a small quantity on a damp flannel, rub lightly over the surface, and 
you will be surprised at its effects. 

Woodwork around Doors — to cleanse. — Take a pail of hot water; 
throw in two tablespoonfuls of pulverized borax; use a good coarse 
house-cloth — an old coarse towel does splendidly — and wash the paint- 
ing; do not use a brush; when washing places that are extra yellow 
or stained, soap the cloth; then sprinkle it with dry powdered borax 



WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 505 

and rub the places well, using plenty of rinsing water; by washing 
the woodwork in this way you will not remove the paint, and the 
borax will soften and make the hands white — a fact well worth know- 
ing. 

Wool — to dye black. — According to the following recipe the dye 
does not rub off, fibers remain loose and the wool has a desirable 
reddish cast: Boil the thoroughly washed wool well for an hour and 
a half in a bath composed, for one hundred pounds of wool, of two 
and one-half pounds of chromate of potash, two and one-half pounds 
of alum, one-half pound of blue vitriol, and two pounds of commer- 
cial sulphuric acid, and dye it, without rinsing, in fresh water, with 
twenty pounds of logwood and twenty pounds of Brazil wood. It is 
advantageous for the color to allow the wood to remain in the mor- 
dant for twelve hours. 

Wool of Sheep — to improve by smearing. — Immediately after 
the sheep are shorn, soak the roots of the wool that remain all over 
with oil, or butter, and brimstone; and, three or four days afterward, 
wash them with salt and water. The wool of next season will not 
be much finer, but the quantity will be in greater abundance. It may 
be depended upon, that the sheep will not be troubled with the scab 
or vermin that year. Salt water is a safe and effectual remedy against 
maggots. 

Woolen Goods — to wash. — To wash woolen goods nicely, to each 
pail of water used add one tablespoonful of ammonia and one of 
beef-gall; wash out quickly and rinse thoroughly in warm water with 
a very little beef-gall added. 

Woolen Shawls — to wash. — The following is the Scotch method 
of washing woolen shawls: Scrape one pound of soap, and boil it 
down in water. When cooling beat it with the hand; it will become 
a sort of jelly. Add three tablespoonfuls of spirits of turpentine and 
one of spirits of hartshorn; wash the article thoroughly in it, then 
rinse in cold water until all the soap is taken ofif, then in salt and 
water; fold between two sheets, taking care not to allow two folds of 
the article washed to lie together; mangle and iron with a very cool 
iron. Shawls done in this way look like new. Use the salt only 
where there are delicate colors that may strike. 

Work-baskets — pretty and cheap. — i. Take coarse tidy cotton 
No. 8, and crochet a round mat, thick, that is, not to put over the 
thread; have the mat the size of a two quart dish, or if you wish for 
a small basket, take a pint dish, which is a pretty size; then crochet 
six times round without widening; then crochet round three times the 
shell pattern, with which every one is familiar; one ball of cotton will 
make one basket over the pint dish, one over a two-quart dish; then 
make a handle of two shell rows long enough to go over it to look as 
you please; then make a stiff starch of flour, put in a lot of glue, say 
half a pound to a pint and a half of starch; put in the crochet basket 
while boiling hot; have it thoroughly wet; take and wring out a 
little; stretch it over the dish intended, and let them dry; the quicker 



5o6 WffA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

the better; serve the handle in the same way. When dry, take a 
paint brush and varnish over with brown shellac, which you will find 
at any paint-shop. Let it dry; when thoroughly dry they will be 
stiff like a board; then take and line them, and thread in bright col- 
ored ribbon in through the meshes of the shell-work, tying a bow 
now and then on the basket, and you will have a pretty basket at a 
trifling expense. Fasten the handle to the basket with a bow of 
ribbon. 

2, Take two peach baskets and fasten the bottoms firmly together 
with small nails. Line one of the baskets with dark colored chintz; 
take a piece of the cloth two inches longer than the depth of the bas- 
ket and wide enough to go once and a half around; gather this evenly 
on a circular piece of chintz just large enough to lie in the bottom of 
the basket. Fit this in smoothly. Then draw the upper end over 
the edge of the basket, and fasten with carpet tacks. Next take off 
the chintz a piece a trifle longer than the united length of both bas- 
kets, and wide enough to go around smoothly. Hem one end, and 
make all around a row of pockets five inches deep, gathered quite 
full, and furnished with a heavy rubber cord at the top. Fasten this 
neatly on the outside of the lined basket; draw the other end inside 
the empty one, and fasten with tacks. Finish with a band of gay 
ribbon tied around the center to give it the shape of an hour-glass, 
and little knots of blue ribbon between the pockets. 

3. The basket is of fine wicker-work, the sides are lined with gath- 
ered satin, and the bottom with embroidered plush; both are finished 
with silk cord. The outside is ornamented with fringe of crewels of 
various colors. Handles of cord. 

Worms — treatment of. — Some members of the profession still 
cling with bull-dog tenacity to the opinion that worms do not affect 
the health of children, and that they are natural to them. The latter 
may or may not be true, but when they accumulate in the intestines, 
they produce the same disturbance that any foreign, indigestible sub- 
stance would do. We find the picking of the nose, swollen lower 
eye-lids, restlessness in sleep, groaning, gritting teeth, starting, and 
lastly, spasms. 

Worms kill more children than teething; and when you find the 
above symptoms with a strawberry tongue and a fever, which will 
attack several times daily, going off as frequently in cold sweats, you 
can swear that you have a case of worms, and had as well prepare 
and attack them. 

Now as to the best means of getting rid of them. I use the fluid 
extract of senna and spigelia in teaspoonful doses for patients of 
eight or ten years of age, and less in proportion, night and morning, 
for three nights and days, following this up each morning with a 
good dose of castor oil, provided the senna and spjgelia does not act. 
Then wait three days, and again institute the same proceedings, and 
for the same length of time. 

This treatment is for the lumbric oid. For theoxyuris, or " thread 



WHA T E VER Y ONE SHO ULD KNO TV. 507 

worm," I use any bitter infusion by enema, sulph. quinine, followed 
by an enema of common salt and milk — warm water half an hour 
afterward, which will destroy and expel them. 

The symptoms of the presence of the worm are the same as the 
former, with the exception that in the latter you will find the sufferer 
scratching the anus. If every practitioner will use these he will be 
gratified by the restoration to immediate health of many a little suf- 
ferer, who would otherwise linger in sickness for many months and 
perhaps eventually die. 

Wormwood — its medical uses. — Wormwood is atonic and anthel- 
mintic. It is used externally as a discutient and antiseptic. It is 
used internally in long-standing cases of dyspepsia, in the form of 
infusion, with or without aromatics. It has also been used in inter- 
mittents. 

Dose: Of the infusion, from one to two ounces, three times a day; 
of the powder, from one to two scruples. 

Worms in Horses — to cure. — A remedy for worms in a horse 
which has never failed of a cure is to take half a cup of pure, hard 
wood ashes, finely sifted and mixed dry with the mash or food. If 
one dose should not prove sufficient, repeat it after a day or two. 

Worm Lozenges. — Powdered lump sugar, ten ounces; starch, 
five ounces; mix with mucilage; and to every ounce add twelve 
grains of calomel; divide into twenty grain lozenges. Dose, two 
to six. 

Worm Medicines. — i. Two tablespoonfuls of pumpkin seeds 
peeled and pulverized, or given to a child who will chew fine. The 
seed does not kill, but stupefies the worm. The next day give castor 
oil or any other cathartic, and if worms are present in the system 
they will pass off. 

2. Make an infusion in the proportion of one pint of boiling water 
to one ounce of dried hyssop flowers; let it stand ten minutes; pour 
it off into a wine bottle, and take a wine-glass, or rather less, accord- 
ing to age, two or three times a day. 

Worth Kno"wing. — Ripe tomatoes will remove ink or other stains 
from the hands. Kerosene will soften leather hardened by water, 
and render it as pliable as new. To heal cut fingers with rapidity, 
grasp them in a cloth saturated with alum water; they will sting 
sharply for a little while, but the pain will subside quickly and for 
good. The same remedy will cure chafing, but it is too severe to be 
used upon children. To keep tinware nice and bright, scour it every 
two or three weeks with finely sifted coal ashes. To clean willow 
furniture use salt and water, and apply with a horse brush, and dry 
thoroughly. Machine grease may be removed from wrap goods by 
dipping the fabric in cold rain water and soda. 

Wounds and Cuts — treatment of. — Farmers who live far from 
surgical aid, and those who go off on hunting and other excursions, 
are often at a loss what to do when an accident occurs. In many 
families some kind of liniment or application is kept which is. regard- 



5o8 WIT A T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W, 

ed as an universal remedy, but it is often the worst thing- that can be 
applied. In all cases of wounds, recollect that nature makes an im- 
mediate attempt to repair damages, and the best thing we can do is 
to give her a chance and aid her. 

In the majority of wounds, where no important artery or vein is 
cut, all we have to do is to bring the edges of the wound together 
and hold them there, and if the wound is not a ragged one, healing 
will commence at once. Should, however, the edges of the wound 
be much torn, then use cold water dressings, until surgical aid can 
be had; these may be lint, or any soft cloths, wet in the coldest ob- 
tainable water and kept wet over the wound. Should an artery be 
wounded, the fact will be known by the blood coming out in jerks or 
spurts, and one must make use of such anatomical knowledge as he 
may have. Keep cool. If the wound is on a limb, applying a com- 
press somewhere between the wound and the body will stop the 
bleeding. Tie a handkerchief around the limb, and use a stick to 
twist it in such a manner as to bring a pressure on the artery. A 
wounded vein is much less difficult to manage. A bit of lint bound 
firmly over the wound will usually stop the bleeding. In all such 
cases', an abundant use of the coldest water is advisable. Perfect 
quiet is essential; make the wounded person keep absolutely at rest, 
and having dispatched a messenger for the nearest surgeon, apply 
cold water dressing, avoiding the use of all "balsams," "pain- 
killers," "reliefs," and the like, which are of a highly inflammatory 
nature, though wounds sometimes get well in spite of them. 

Wounds — a new cure for. — A writer on health topics gives the 
following directions for caring wounds: As soon as a wound is in- 
flicted, get a little stick — a knife or file handle will do — and com- 
mence to tap gently on the wound. Do not stop for the hurt, but 
continue till it bleeds freely and becomes perfectly numb. When 
this point is reached you are perfectly safe — all that is necessary is to 
protect it from dirt. Do not stop short of bleeding and numbness, 
and do not on any account close the opening with plaster. Nothing 
more than a little cerate on a clean cloth is necessary. We have 
used and seen this used on all kinds of simple punctures for years, 
and never knew a single instance of a wound becoming inflamed or 
sore after this treatment. Among other cases a coal-rake tooth go- 
ing entirely through the foot, a rusty darning needle through the 
foot, several instances of file shanks through the hand, and number- 
less cases of rusty nails, awls, etc., but we never knew a failure of 
this treatment. 

Wounds (Bleeding of) — to stop. — The following simple remedies 
may be made use of: Soak some linen rag in strong vinegar; burn it 
and strew the ashes on the wound, or bruise the tops of stinging net- 
tles and place them over it, or apply a good dressing of the powder 
of ripe puff-balls. In certain cases it may be desirable to tie two or 
three tight ligatures near the lower part of each joint, and slacken 
them gradually. This will assist in stopping the flow of blood. 



WJIA T E VER V ONE SHOULD KNO W. 509 

Wounds — treatment of. — A wound produced by a sharp cutting 
instrument will heal without trouble when the edges are nicely 
brought together, and left so, without putting on any salve, provided 
the access of air is shut off and the person posseses a good constitu- 
tion. If the wound is produced by a rusty nail, or a similar cause so 
as to be jagged, it will soon become very inflamed, and in such a 
case it is recommended to smoke such a wound wiih burning wool 
or woolen cloth. Twenty minutes in the smoke of wool will take the 
pain out of the worst wound, and if repeated once or twice will allay 
the worst case of inflammation arising from a wound, 

For painful wounds take a shovel of burning coals and sprinkle 
with brown sugar; hold the wonnded parts in the smoke for fifteen 
minutes. 

Writing for the Press. — It would be a great favor to editors and 
printers should those who write for the press observe the following 
rules: First. — Write with black ink, on white paper, wide ruled. 
Second. — Make the page small, one-fourth that of a foolscap sheet. 
Third. — Leave the second page of each leaf blank. Fourth. — Give 
to the written page an ample margin all round. Fifth. — Number the 
papers in the order of their succession. Sixth. — Write in a plain, 
bold hand, with less respect to beauty. Seventh. — Use no abbrevia- 
tions which are not to appear in print. Eighth. — Punctuate the 
manuscript as it should be printed. Ninth. — For italics underscore 
one line; for small capitals, two; capitals, three. Tenth. — Never 
interline without the caret to show its place. Eleventh. — Take 
special pains with every letter in proper names. Twelfth. — Review 
every work to be sure that none is illegible. Thirteenth. — Put 
directions to the printer at the head of the first page. Fourteenth. — 
Never write a private letter to the editor on the printer's copy, but 
always on a separate sheet. 

Writing (Faded) — to restore. — iSometimes a physician's pre- 
scription may become faded by water and other fluids, and it may be 
a matter of life and death to have it renewed, or made legible. You 
can restore faded writing by damping a piece of soft white paper; 
lay it on the faded writing, press it down closely; put a tablespoon 
of spirits of hartshorn in a tin vessel with a candle or lamp under it. 
Hold the soft damp paper over it, so as to receive the fumes of the 
hartshorn; if the writing is not exhibited on the soft paper plain 
enough, dampen it again and repeat the whole process until it is plain 
enough. 

Yeast — to make. — Pare, boil, and mash fine, nine medium-sized 
potatoes; put a large cupful of light hops into a quart of cold water 
and boil; strain on the potato and add another quart to the hops to 
strain; also put in a cupful of sugar, four large tablespoonfuls of salt 
and a little ginger; when lukewarm, add two yeast cakes, or other 
sweet yeasts; raise in a warm place till light, then put in a cool dry 
place; this does not sour, nor does the bread made from it require 
much if any salt. 



5IO WHA T E VER V ONE SHO ULD KNO W. 

Yeast Cakes — to make. — Boil together half a dozen potatoes 
and a handful of hops tied in a cloth. When the potatoes are done 
remove from the fire, mash them fine, put them in a hot liquor, set 
over the fire, and thicken them with three or four tablespoonfuls of 
flour. Let them cool till lukewarm, then add a cupful of good yeast 
and set in a warm place. When light, stir in corn meal, till a thick 
dough is formed. Place this in a lump on the kneading-board and slice 
off cakes with a knife, dry in the shade; turning often while drying. 
Pack away in a close vessel where the air will not reach them. 

Yeast Mixture. — Some housekeepers find yeast cakes too slow in 
winter. I peel and boil fifteen good-sized potatoes; mash through 
the colander, with a very little water; add one teacupful of flour, one 
heaping tablespoonful of sugar, the same of salt, and add two yeast 
cakes, after being dissolved with a little water. In two days the 
preparation is ready for use, one-third being sufficient for four large 
or six small loaves. The remainder will keep good until wanted for 
use. I make bread without setting any other sponge, adding a little 
soda. 

Yeast (Potato). — It is claimed that aside from the advantage of 
healthfulness, bread well made from potato yeast will soon win con- 
verts to itself because of its superior lightness and delicacy of flavor. 
An excellent recipe for yeast is the following: Boil for about fifteen 
minutes in a quart of water a handful of common hops or a square 
inch of pressed hops tied in a piece of muslin; peel and grate five 
large or three very large potatoes; dissolve in the boiling water one 
cup of sugar and one-half cup of salt; add a pinch of ginger; remove 
the hops, add the grated potatoes, stir the mixture till it thickens, re- 
move from the stove, and when milk-warm add one cup of good 
yeast; or, if this cannot be obtained, a small yeast cake, dissolved in 
a cup of water with flour stirred in to make a thin batter and allowed 
to rise till very light, may be used for the first brewing of potato 
yeast. It should be covered very tight, and set to rise in a warm 
place. After fermentation ceases, it should be kept in a cool place, 
in a covered jar of stone, or earthenware. 

Many people boil and mash the potatoes instead of grating them; 
but the yeast sours sooner, and sour yeast will not make good bread, 
even with the addition of soda to correct the acidity. The hops can 
be omitted if desired, but they, as well as the salt and ginger, help to 
preserve the yeast, and a small quantity imparts no unpleasant flavor 
to the bread. White sugar keeps better than brown. A porcelain 
lined kettle or a bright tin vessel should be used in making yeast, as 
iron burns it dark. Care should be taken not to allow the yeast to 
become warmer than new milk, while rising, as scalding destroys its 
life. 



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